Potato Pizza, two ways (sweet and unsweet)

By Katherine

Pesto and potato what a lovely idea

Greg is a meat lover through and through. But when it comes to pizza, he much prefers roasted tomato or garlic; caramelized onions and mushrooms to sausage and pepperoni. These pizzas are hearty without being heavy. Each recipe makes two 12-14 inch pizzas. We use a 13-inch pizza stone, so adjust accordingly if you’re using a sheet pan. The cheese measurements are of course guidelines, if you double or triple the amounts, we’ll never know.

Sweet Potato and Squash Pizza

• 1 batch pizza dough
• 1 medium to large sweet potato
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 small yellow squash (enough to cover the surface of the pizza when thinly sliced)
• 1/4-1/2 cup shredded Romano

Prick the top of the sweet potato and roast in the oven at 375 until done, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove skin and dump flesh in a bowl. Mash with vinegar, sea salt and the teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside. Drop the squash in boiling water for two minutes. Remove and run under cold water for a few seconds. When cool enough to handle, slice as thinly as possible. Divide the sweet potato mixture between two rolled out pieces of dough. Spread the mixture thinly then cover each in a single layer of squash. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and crack some fresh black pepper on top. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until crust is golden and squash are tender. Sprinkle with Romano and return to oven, cooking until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, about five minutes.

Not the most circular pizza

Pesto Potato Pizza

• 1 batch pizza dough
• 2 medium sized white potatoes, skinned
• roughly 1/4 cup pesto
• 3-4 sundried tomatoes (in oil or hydrated)
• 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella
• extra Romano for dusting

Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil and drop the potatoes in. Cook for 10 minutes. They should be almost tender, but not too tender. (If you’re using dried sun-dried tomatoes drop them in the hot water for about a minute to rehydrate them, then scoop them out and dice them.) Run the potatoes under cold water and once cool enough to handle, slice as thinly as possible. Divide pesto between two rolled out rounds of pizza dough. Cover each with a layer of the potato slices. (One potato per pizza.) Drizzle with olive oil to keep the potatoes from crisping too much. Bake for 15 minutes at 400, until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and sprinkle on sun-dried tomatoes and cheeses. Cook until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown, about five minutes.