Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Potato Pizza

Pizza with a mashed potato and cheddar topping
I got the idea for this recipe from UNO's restaurant. They have a potato skins pizza appetizer that is extremely yummy. So I decided to make my own version at home. I started out by making my pizza dough.

Ingredients for pizza dough:
1 package dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water
3-4 cups of flour

I put the yeast, sugar, and olive oil into my bowl, then I add the warm water (as hot as I can get from my faucet) and stir well. Then I add the flour a cup at a time. Usually by the time I get the second cup in, the dough is starting to form a ball. When it does that, I put some flour on the kneading board, and I start to knead the dough. I add another cup or two to get the dough to to stick together without being tacky. Usually, it takes around 3 cups in total, but it all depends.

Spray PAM in a bowl, and put the dough in. Flip the dough to make sure both sides have oil on therm. Then cover the bowl with Saran wrap and a towel. Let the dough sit in a warm spot for around 1 1/2 hours. It will double in size.

After the dough has been rising for an hour, start the mashed potatoes. Peel and cut 2-3 potatoes into pieces (depending on size--the larger the potato, the fewer you need). Put them in a pan, covering with water, and bring to a boil. Boil around 10 to 15 minutes. They are done when you can poke them with a fork, and the potato is soft. Drain the potatoes.

To make mashed potatoes, add around 2 Tbsp butter, an ounce of shredded cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

After the dough has doubled, get a 13x9 pan. Spray with the pan with PAM. Spread the dough in the pan.

Put the dough in an oven preheated to 400 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes.

Take the dough out, and spread the mashed potatoes over the dough. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes till the cheese melts.

For an added touch, you can shred some potatoes, saute, drain off extra oil, and spread over the pizza before serving.

As I always say, EXPERIMENT!!! You can add toppings that you want, or make a different type of mashed potato. Heck, au gratin potatoes might make a nice topping. Enjoy!