Pesto Potato Parmesan Pizza | Pizza Con Patate with a Twist
Pesto Potato Pizza is full of flavor and adds a fun twist to vegetable pizza. It’s the ultimate comfort food for your next pizza night! | How to make Pizza Con Patate with a Twist
Pesto Potato Parmesan Pizza? Say that 5 times fast. A few years ago we went to a pizza shop in D.C. and I found my perfect pizza recipe. It was chewy, flavorful, and so delicious. It had so many ingredients that I love, including my favorite food in the whole world…potatoes! Potatoes on a pizza? It may sound weird but surprisingly it works!
I did a little research and learned that Potato Pizza is authentically Italian. This simple pizza style of sliced potatoes on thin dough is called Pizza Con Patate and it is popular in Rome. This style of pizza usually omits any kind of sauce or cheese. The thin, crispy potatoes layered on top become the center point of this dish and it is often topped with a little rosemary.
This recipe takes that traditional dish and adds tons of extra flavor with fragrant pesto and nutty, salty parmesan cheese. Forget the tomato sauce and give one of my favorite pizzas a try!
How to Make Homemade Pizza Crust
This is my go-to recipe for pizza dough. It’s easy!
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 tsp active dry yeast HEAPING TSP
- 1 cup flour plus extra for sprinkling when kneading the dough
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 TBS olive oil plus extra for coating the bowl
Instructions
- Combine the water with the yeast to activate the yeast
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and the salt.
- Once the yeast is foamy add the olive oil and gently mix.
- Add the yeast mixture to the center of the flour mixture and mix slowly with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture forms a shaggy ball and becomes hard to mix, move the dough onto a well-floured counter.
- Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes to develop the gluten.
- Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil and place the kneaded dough inside the bowl. Turn the dough over to coat with a thin layer of olive oil.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate, set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Baking the Dough
- About 30 minutes before you bake your pizza, put a pizza stone or cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees.
- Press the dough into whatever pizza shape you'd like until it is consistently about 1/2 inch thick all around.
- Add toppings and transfer the dough to the pizza stone or cast iron skillet.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes – Until they are golden brown on the bottom.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, slide the pizza onto a large cutting board, and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes. Then cut it into slices and enjoy!
*If you don’t want to make your own dough, store-bought pizza dough makes this a very fast recipe for a weeknight dinner. For best results just use what you feel comfortable with.
Homemade Pesto vs. Store Bought
Homemade pesto is delicious and bursting with fresh basil flavor and on pasta, I think it’s better. But this recipe is heavier and more hearty. When I make this pizza I usually just used jarred pesto because it’s faster. It works really well and seasons the pizza perfectly. My two favorite store-bought pestos are the Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco or ALDI’s Priano Alla Genovese Pesto Sauce. They are both amazing for the price.
How to Make Pizza Con Patate With Pesto and Parmesan
WHAT YOU NEED
-Pizza Dough (Homemade recipe above)-1-2 medium potato – Yukon Gold or Russet-Pesto – Store-bought or homemade-Block of Parmesan Cheese
-Mozzarella Cheese
-Pinch of Salt-Mandoline or a very sharp knife-Cast Iron Skillet or Pizza Stone big enough to fit your pizzaThat’s it!
How to Thinly Slice Potatoes
Slicing potatoes with a mandoline: The mandoline is the best choice because it can slice your potatoes paper-thin. The thinner the slices the better for this recipe. I use this mandoline, it’s not fancy but it works well!
Slicing potatoes with a knife: Use a very sharp knife and cut the slices no more than 1/8″ thick, because these need to cook quickly.
ABOUT THE CAST-IRON SKILLET
- It’s important to preheat your cast-iron skillet (or pizza stone) while preheating the oven. You will know it’s preheated when the handle begins to get hot to the touch. This avoids causing an expansion crack and you can be sure your pan is heated to an even temperature.
- Be prepared and don’t worry, your skillet is going to be hot. That’s good, it’s what you want. Turn the exhaust fan, use oven mitts and you’re ready to go!
- Once you lay the pizza crust on the skillet (or pizza stone) it will begin cooking immediately. Be sure to shape the dough as much as you can before placing it on the pan.
If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, and you cook at home, get one. They are so versatile and if they are treated properly they will last forever. I’d say it’s in the top 5 kitchen items I wouldn’t want to live without.
IF YOU WANT A SUGGESTION FOR A CAST-IRON SKILLET I RECOMMEND THIS ONE:
Making Pesto Pizza with Potatoes and Parmesan
- Thinly slice the potatoes – This enables the potatoes to be cooked evenly with the crust.
- Toss and season the potatoes generously with the pesto until all of the slices are well coated – this helps season the potatoes and keep them from sticking together too much; Don’t be afraid of the seasoning! Add a pinch of salt to taste.
- Cover the potatoes and microwave for 1-2 minutes until they are a little soft.
- Preheat your cast-iron skillet or pizza stone in the oven before putting on the pizza – this is what will really form that beautiful, brown crust and prevent the dough from sticking.
- Stretch and shape the dough BEFORE you place it on the cast iron skillet because the dough will begin to stick and cook as soon as it touches the hot surface.
- COVER the dough with the remaining pesto evenly leaving about a half inch border for the crust.
- Arrange the thinly sliced potatoes in a single layer on top of the pesto.
- Cover with the freshly shredded parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until GOLDEN BROWN, slice, and serve.
- You could top with some red pepper flakes for a little spice or a good grinding of black pepper.
Pesto Potato Parmesan Pizza | How to Make Pizza Con Patate with a Twist
Equipment
- 1 Mandoline
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet or Pizza Stone
Ingredients
- 1 Pizza Dough Homemade or Good Quality Store Bought
- 1-2 Medium Potatoes Yukon Gold or Russet
- 1 cup Pesto Store bought or Homemade
- 1 Block Parmesan About 1 cup shredded
- salt and pepper To taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place the cast iron skillet or pizza stone you are using into oven to preheat as well.
- Wash the potatoes well and slice as thinly as possible with a mandoline or very sharp knife and place in a bowl.
- Toss the potatoes with 2-3 tablespoons of the pesto until all of the potato slices are well coated.
- Cover the bowl of potatoes and microwave for 1-2 minutes, just until the potatoes start to get soft. Remove the plate and let the potatoes cool.
- Once the skillet or pizza stone is pre heated, remove it from the oven. Stretch or roll your pizza dough until it is the desired shape and then place it on the stone. (As soon as you put it onto the pan it will begin to stick and cook, so try to shape it as much as you can before you set it down.)
- Once the dough is shaped an on the pan, top it with the remaining pesto leaving border for the crust.
- Lay the potato slices in a single, even layer over the pesto, again leaving a border for the crust.
- Top with the freshly grated/shredded parmesan cheese, make sure to cover the entire pizza even the border you left for the crust. Season with salt and pepper to taste, but remember there is a lot of salt in the pesto and cheese.
- Bake for 10-20 minutes or until golden and the bottom of the crust is just crisp all the way accross. The time really depends on your individual oven, so just keep an eye on it.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then slice and serve!
Notes
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Love this recipe and am glad for a new option for our Friday night pizza date nights. Thank you!