Fontina Sweet Potato Pizza Food

SOFT FONTINA POLENTA

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine the stock and cream, and bring to a boil. Add the nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the polenta and semolina and cook over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are soft. Fold in the cheeses. Serve immediately or reserve.
• To encourage polenta to come cleanly out of the pan, cook over medium heat. Run a spatula or wooden spoon around the sides of the pan to clean off the polenta. Do not stir, but wait and watch for a few seconds until a large bubble begins to form and pushes the polenta upward. Pour immediately into a warm dish.
• The polenta can be made ahead and reheated: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or stock, cover the dish, and reheat in the microwave or over low heat. Whisk well before serving.
• For tabletop polenta: Set up 1 or 2 clean, untreated butcher blocks or cutting boards or lay down parchment or butcher paper over a tabletop. Pour the warm polenta out onto the table in front of guests. Pass bowls of sauces and mix-ins. Each guest mixes in their toppings and eats right off the table!

BACON, POTATO, ROSEMARY AND FONTINA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put a jelly roll pan or half sheet pan in the oven.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the fingerling potatoes, onion, bacon, and rosemary leaves. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss together to coat with olive oil.
• Take the preheated jelly roll pan out of the oven and drizzle some olive oil over entire surface. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and reserve 1 piece for another use. Stretch the pizza dough out so it is just bigger than the pan, then lay it inside the pan so the dough comes up the sides to form a crust on the rim.
• Pour the potato mixture onto the pizza dough, then sprinkle with shredded fontina. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until crispy and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with arugula and drizzle the lemon juice over the top. Serve immediately.
• In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water and stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, 5 to 10 minutes.
• If you're using a stand mixer, combine the salt and flour to the bowl and pulse a few times to mix. Add the yeast mixture, at the lowest speed, until the flour incorporates. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough gathers into a ball. This should take about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and pulse a few more times. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough as you're making it by squeezing a small amount together between your thumb and fingers. If it's crumbly, add more water, if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times, kneading until it's smooth and elastic.
• If you're making the dough by hand, add the yeast mixture to a large bowl and stir in the salt and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then begin stirring in the flour. When the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, knead in the rest of the flour by hand, adding just enough so that the dough is soft but not too sticky. As you work, squeeze a small amount of dough together between your thumb and fingers. If it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Form the dough into a round and put it into a lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to coat the dough entirely with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e., over a gas pilot light) until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

ZUCCHINI, POTATO, AND FONTINA PIZZETTAS

Steps:

• Whisk yeast, sugar, and 3 Tbsp. warm water in a large bowl. Let sit until surface is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups room-temperature water, then add 1 cup flour, whisking until smooth (mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter). Add 2 1/2 cups flour and 2 tsp. kosher salt and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands, adding more flour as needed to prevent it from sticking, until dough is smooth and supple, 5-10 minutes (it will be very soft). Transfer to a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hours.
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and form into balls. Place on an oiled rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until balls of dough are nearly doubled in size, 40-50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place potato slices in a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain, season with kosher salt, and let sit, tossing occasionally, until softened, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with onion, zucchini, and 2 Tbsp. oil; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time and keeping remaining dough covered while you work, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into 10" rounds.
• Heat a dry large cast-iron skillet over medium. Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into skillet and cook a dough round until bottom is golden brown and top looks dry, about 1 minute. Flip and cook just until bottom is lightly golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining 3 Tbsp. oil and rounds of dough (you should be able to fit two pizzettas per baking sheet if you overlap them slightly).
• Top pizzettas with Fontina cheese and reserved potato mixture; season with kosher salt. Bake, rotating baking sheets once top to bottom and back to front, until crusts are golden brown and crisp and cheese is bubbling, 10-15 minutes. Remove pizzettas from oven, season with sea salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil.

SAUSAGE-AND-FONTINA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with an inverted rimmed baking sheet on top rack. Brush another baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil; stretch dough into an 11-by-12-inch rectangle on it (if dough springs back, let stand a few minutes). Scatter sausage evenly over dough. Bake on inverted sheet 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, jalapenos, salt, and pepper. Bake until crisp on bottom and cheese is bubbling, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, peel carrots and shave into short lengths with peeler. Thinly slice fennel. Toss carrots, fennel, and arugula with brine and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Top pizza with a handful of salad just before serving, with remaining salad on the side.