Idaho® Potato Pizza Margherita Style
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds Idaho® Russet potatoes (about 4 large, 1 to be shredded for the crust border)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (reserve a cup for rolling dough)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
- black pepper, ground, to taste
- 2 eggs, large, beaten
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (reserve a few tablespoons to grease cookie sheet)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 16 ounces olivine mozzarella, fresh, thinly sliced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, ripe, sliced
- basil chiffonade, fresh, folded, rolled, cut into thin ribbons
- ½ bunch asparagus, fresh
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- ¼ cup Grana Padana or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Cook the unpeeled Idaho® potatoes in boiling water, remove one after 6-7 minutes and cool on the side for the shredded potato border.
- For the shredded potato: peel and shred the one par-cooked potato and let it cool completely. Toss shredded potato with a little olive oil and season with salt, fresh ground pepper, and sprinkle of dried oregano. Set aside for adding to the crust border later.
- Peel garlic and mince. Add minced garlic to a quarter cup of olive oil.
- Slice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Brush with a little garlic olive oil and a sprinkle of dried oregano. Season with a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Side aside for toppings.
- Cut the woody ends off the asparagus spears. Split spears in half. Brush with a little garlic olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Let the remaining three Idaho® potatoes cook until they are easily pierced with a knife but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Allow the cooked potatoes to steam dry slightly in strainer, then peel and press through a ricer or fine pass through a strainer onto a sheet pan to cool completely.
- Scrape the potatoes into a bowl and sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the eggs and make a smooth dough.
- Oil a 15x10-inch cookie sheet.
- Lay out parchment paper on top of another inverted cookie sheet and dust with flour. Shape the dough into a medium rectangle and dust the top of the dough with a little more all-purpose flour. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll it out evenly, working toward the borders of the pan so that the dough is slightly past the cookie sheet edges, about a ¼-inch thickness.
- Remove the top parchment paper after it is rolled out and place the oiled cookie sheet over the dough. Flip the bottom cookie sheet upside down. The dough should fit neatly into the oiled cookie sheet. Shape the crust by pinching the border between thumb and forefinger, to get a rustic look.
- Sprinkle the par-cooked, shredded potato around the border, working it loosely into the crust. Brush the border generously with olive oil and sprinkle dried oregano.
- Par-bake the crust in a 400° F oven for 9-10 minutes until dough and potato crust begin to turn a light, golden brown.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and top the dough evenly with alternating slices of mozzarella cheese, Roma tomato, and halved asparagus spears, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Drizzle top of pizza with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle all with the dried oregano and freshly grated Grana Padano cheese. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown on the bottom and border, about 10 more minutes. Allow the pizza to cool slightly on the baking sheet before cutting into squares. Top the tomatoes and cheese with fresh basil chiffonade.
