Potato, Fennel and Shallot Pizza (plus recipe!)

A couple weeks ago I saw a special about pizza on the travel channel. For the life of me I can't find a link or I'd send you there. At any rate one of the featured pies was potato and cheese. It sounded heavenly and I wanted to give it a go. Not only could I not find a link but I also couldn't find a suitable recipe.

If you google potato pizza you'll find several recipes but none quite what I was looking for. So I made up my own: Potato, Fennel and Shallot Pizza. It turned out pretty good so I'm sharing the recipe with all of you.

First you should know a few things about me. I am a thin crust girl. The thinner the better. Here is my favorite dough recipe. Now don't get me wrong. I've had deep dish pizza - from the master. It was completely and absolutely delectable. But at home it's thin crust all the way.

Given that the crust is thin I prefer my pizza without much sauce (though I made this topping the other week -- very very good!)

You'll need a pizza stone and a peel. A mandoline is also very helpful to get thin slices of potato and fennel. Plan to eat this as soon as it arrives out of the oven otherwise the crust will get soggy.

Now, without further adieu, the recipe:

Ingredients:

Pizza dough

Fennel bulb

2 to 3 yellow potatoes

2 to 3 shallots

Sharp white cheddar cheese

Fresh grated Parmesean Cheese

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground Pepper

Olive oil

Corn meal

Directions:

1) Place pizza stone in oven. Preheat to 450 degrees (this works best if permitted to heat for 45 minutes).

2) Cut shallots into thin slices. Place ~ three tablespoons olive oil in a skillet (I just add a splash to cover the bottom of the skillet). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill onions until lightly browned.

3) Take a fennel bulb and cut in half. Cut out the triangular core. Using a mandoline to thinly slice.

4) Wash potatoes. Thinly slice wilth mandoline. (I left the skin on).

5) Roll dough thin (~1/8th of an inch).

6) Sprinkle small amount of corn meal on pizza peel.

7) Place dough on pizza peel.

8) Place thin layer of shallots on dough.

9) Place layer of fennel.

10) Add layer of potatoes.

11) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

12) Drizzle with olive oil.

13) Sprinkle with both cheeses.

14) Slide onto pizza stone and bake until lightly browned and crust crispy.

15) Remove from oven, slice and eat immediately!

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Note our fancy dining table (a child's chair). We were recently gifted a television (thank you Mom and Dad!). This contraption now sits on what was our coffee table. The dining room table is covered with a sewing machine, knitting implements, valentines and other assorted junk. As such we are stuck with the ever so fancy chair - an antique from the LA School district. That's how we roll, folks, nothing if not fancy. And no, there isn't a bite taken out of that photo. The beauty of hand rolled crust lies within the imperfections. At least that's what I'm telling myself. Happy Monday!

Pizza Party!

Tonight we're having friends over for pizza. Homemade pizza that is. And, as promised, here is my favorite dough recipe. We'll use the whole recipe tonight but our family of five typically uses only half the dough. The other half goes into the freezer for another day. Simply pull out and thaw in the refrigerator when ready to use.

As for toppings -- here are a few of my favorites:

* Grilled asparagus, prosciutto and roasted garlic topped with parmesan (I squeeze the garlic onto the dough and use as a paste instead of sauce).
* Sauteed mushrooms and onions with fennel topped with goat or blue cheese. Sometimes I'll toss mixed greens over the top and sprinkle with white cheddar. Mmmm, mmmm!

And for the kids ... peanut butter pizza (peanut butter topped with cheese --really!)

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar

Combine in a food processor or the bowl of a mixer:
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour

Set aside: Small amount of corn meal

Combine water, yeast, olive oil and sugar. Set aside. Assemble dry ingredients in food processor or mixing bowl (I use my kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook).

Add the bubbly yeast mixture to the flour mixture while blending and mix for about 2 minutes. If too sticky add small increments of additional flour. If too dry add small increments of water. After two minutes turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a well oiled bowl. Spin dough in bowl so all dough surfaces are lightly coated in oil. Cover (I love to use pretty dish towels) and set in a warm place to rise until doubles in size (about two to three hours).

After the dough has risen punch down then divide into eight equal pieces. Roll pieces into a circle about 1/8th inch thick and store between sheets of lightly oiled waxed paper (note if dough is sticking to the waxed paper put in the freezer for a few minutes).

Place corn meal on a pizza peel (it will allow the dough to slide), place dough over corn meal and top as desired. Cook on a pizza stone in a 450 degree oven until edges golden brown and toppings bubbly.

Slice and enjoy!

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Have a great weekend!