Jims Potato Pizza Food

JIM'S POTATO PIZZA

Steps:

• Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer, and slowly add 1 3/4 cups cold water. Mix on low speed until ingredients begin to combine. Increase speed to medium high, and continue to mix for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and cleanly pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
• Place dough in an oiled bowl, and allow to rest for 2 to 4 hours until it has doubled in size.
• While the dough rests, prepare the potato topping. Slice potatoes very thin using a knife or a mandoline. Then soak them in several changes of ice water to remove excess starch and prevent discoloration. Drain slices in a colander, toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain any accumulated water. In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, onions, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 440 degrees. Prepare two rimmed baking sheets with vegetable oil. Divide dough in half. Place each piece on its own baking sheet. Using the palms of your hands, flatten dough out to the edges of the pan. Evenly spread potatoes over the surface of the dough up to the very edge, or about 1 inch from the edge if you desire a crust on your pizza. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.
• Bake potato pizza until it has shrunk away from the edges of a pan and the bottom is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool slightly; slice into pieces, and serve. Potato pizza is also delicious served at room temperature.

POTATO PIZZA

Steps:

• For the dough: In a medium bowl, mix the yeast with warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, sugar and salt, and whisk. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the all-purpose and whole wheat flours. Make a hole in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly hand mix the flour until all the liquid is absorbed. If too wet, add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Sprinkle a clean work station with flour and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Coat a large ceramic bowl with the remaining olive oil. Place the dough in the ceramic bowl, and flip over to coat in the oil. Cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap and cover the bowl with a dish towel. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size, 2 hours. Punch down the dough and let rise for another hour.
• For the toppings: Using a mandoline, slice the potatoes and onion. Roughly chop the rosemary leaves.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Grease the pizza pan with the leaf lard.
• Mold the dough into the shape of the pan. Brush with some olive oil. Place the pizza on the bottom oven rack for 5 minutes, to pre-crisp the crust. Add two layers of the potatoes in a scallop style. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with some olive oil.
• Sprinkle with the rosemary and drizzle with more olive oil. Place on the middle oven rack and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven. Immediately remove the pizza from the pan and cut into rectangles.

ROASTED PIZZA POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange the potatoes in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and season with the dried oregano and a good pinch of salt. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat with your fingers. Roast for about 1 hour. (I went 1 hour and 10 minutes, just for extra browning.)
• Remove the potatoes from the oven and switch the oven to broil.
• Sprinkle the grated cheese over the potatoes and arrange the pepperoni in a single layer over the cheese. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes; don't take your eyes off it (see Cook's Note)! This happens fast, and all we want is browning and bubbling, and for the pepperonis to crisp and curl. Serve immediately with pizza sauce and a sprinkle of parsley or chives!

POTATO PIZZA

Steps:

• 1. Make the dough and let it rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Dust a baking sheet with semolina flour. Roll out the dough to an 18 x 12 inch rectangle, and fit it onto the baking sheet. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• 3. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then sprinkle it with the garlic slices. Cover it with the potato slices, then drizzle those with the remaining olive oil and the cream. Sprinkle it with the fresh thyme leaves, crushing them as you sprinkle, and season it liberally with pepper, and lightly with salt.
• 4. Bake in the center of the oven until the dough is golden at the edges and the cream is bubbling gently, about 35 minutes. Remove, let sit for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.

PIZZA POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Thoroughly wash the russet potatoes to remove all surface dirt. Scrub with a vegetable brush if necessary. For uniform baking it is important for each potato to be approximately the same thickness, but in no case should they be less than 1-1/2 inches thick.
• Hold a potato on its side and carefully slice the potato lengthwise into three equal width slices.
• Place each slice (12 total for the 4 potatoes used) on a large non-stick baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the inner portions of the potatoes are soft and the cut surfaces are beginning to brown. While the potato slices are baking, wash and peel the onions and garlic. Dice the onions, crush the garlic, and put into a covered baking dish. Mix in the pepper and cook on "high" in your microwave oven for about 3 to 4 minutes until the onions start to become translucent.
• When the onions and garlic are cooked, add the crushed tomatoes and oregano, mix, cover, and cook for about another 30 minutes (mixing every 10 minutes) until the sauce thickens. A little trick to aid during the thickening process which allows evaporation without splashing: place the end of a wooden toothpick between the lid and the baking dish, with one end sticking out so you can hold it while removing the lid. When the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency, remove from the microwave oven.
• While the sauce is cooking, open the can of beans and pour off the liquid. Place the beans in the container of your blender, add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and corn starch, and run the blender at high speed until the contents are creamy smooth.
• Wash, peel, and slice the onion for the topping.
• When the potatoes are baked, remove from the oven and set on a wire rack. The sauce and the bean cream should also be ready. As quickly as possible, spread a layer of the bean cream on each potato slice. Carefully spoon on the tomato sauce and top with the onion rings (each step is shown in the photo to the left). Place back in the oven and turn up the heat to 400 degrees F. for approximately another 20 minutes.
• When the pizza potatoes are baked, remove from the oven, and set on a wire rack. When the pizza potatoes have partially cooled, they can be picked up and eaten as "finger food.".