Potato and Caramelized Onion Pizza
If you have never had a potato pizza, you are in for a tasty surprise.
This recipe has three layers of contrasting and complementing flavours. It’s made on pizza dough rolled very thinly and cooked on a pizza stone or baking sheet under a high heat.
Serve as as a main course pizza with salad for two or roll the dough out to a rectangle and cut the cooked pizza into small squares to serve as an appetizer.
The Toppings
Fresh thyme and lemon zest add fresh flavour to the creamy mascarpone and grated parmesan that makes up the base of this delicious pizza recipe.
On top of the mascarpone is a layer of caramelized onion. Thinly sliced onions are cooked to deep brown sweetness, then flavoured with garlic and anchovies. The anchovies melt into the onions, adding a wonderful savory, salty, umami flavour that balances beautifully with the sweetness of the onions
Potatoes that have been sliced thin and roasted until browned on the edges are layered over the onions. A scattering of black olives provides a subtle hint of bitterness.
The Dough
This is an easy pizza dough recipe. It comes together in just a few minutes, then just needs one to one and a half hour to rise. It can be made ahead and then refrigerated for 1-2 days, then returned to room temperature when ready to use.
You can use a store-bought pizza dough if you prefer. You will need enough dough to make thin crust 12-inch pizza, approximately ½ a package of store-bought dough.
Substitutions (if you really, really don’t like anchovies)
You may be surprised to find that you do like anchovies when cooked into a recipe. Here, the anchovies completely dissolve into the olive oil and onions, adding a background flavour that isn’t fishy at all.
Still not sold on the idea? There are a couple options for substitutions that will provide a nice saltiness to balance the sweetness of the onions and the richness of the mascarpone.
Capers
For a vegetarian option, substitute in a teaspoon of capers. Capers will provide an interesting salty, briny flavour that will work well in this recipe.
Bacon
Another option is bacon (which puts me in mind of a classic Alsatian style pizza; Tarte Flambée, but that a recipe for another day).
Substitute 2-3 slices of bacon cut crosswise into thin strips and fried until browned but not crisp then mixed in with the caramelized onions.
Equipment
- Pizza stone or large baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Dough
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp quick-rise instant dried yeast
- 1¼ cup bread flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Pizza Topping
- 2 yellow potatoes peeled, and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 tsp fresh thyme or sage
- ¾ cup mascarpone
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- zest of a lemon
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 1 clove garlic , crushed or finely minced
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 12-15 black olives, pitted
Instructions
The Dough
- Add the salt and yeast to the warm water and stir to dissolve. Let rest 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom.
- Place the flour in a large bowl. pour in the yeast and water mixture along with the olive oil. Using a spatula stir to bring together into a dough.Transfer to dough to a lightly oiled surface. lightly oil your hands and knead the dough until soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. If dough starts to stick, add a little more oil.
- Place the dough in a bowl that has been lightly oiled and cover with a slightly damp tea towel. Place in a warm spot and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1-1½ hours.Note: you can let the dough rise and then sit a bit longer until you are ready to pull together your pizza.
Prepare the Topping
- Preheat the oven to 475°F
- Peel the potatoes and slice thinly with a mandolin if you have one, or by hand.Place the sliced potatoes in a bowl and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the potatoes to lay flat, with no overlapping.Place in the oven to roast until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
- Start the onions while the potatoes are roasting.Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over med-high heat.Add the thinly sliced onions and cook until well browned, about 10-15 minutes.Once the onions are browned add the minced garlic and anchovy fillets and cook for another 2-3 minutes, using the back of a spoon or spatula to mash the anchovy fillets. The anchovy fillets will melt completely in with the oil and onions.Set aside while you prepare the mascarpone.
- In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone, lemon zest and thyme (or sage) and a good grind of pepper.
Assemble the Pizza
- Oil a pizza stone or baking sheet.Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to a 12 inch diameter circle, or a 12 x 10 inch rectangle. carefully transfer to the pizza stone or baking sheet.
- Spread the mascarpone mixture evenly across the dough, leaving ⅛ to ¼ inch edge. Sprinkle with more freshly ground pepper if desired.
- Scatter the caramelized onion mixture evenly on top of the mascarpone mixture. then layer on the potatoes.
- Layer on the potatoes and scatter the pitted olives over the top, drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges and bottom are golden brown.Note: if the top is becoming too browned before the bottom is cooked, cover with foil and let bake until the bottom is done.
- Serve warm with more olive oil for drizzling.
