A friend of mine told me that she once got a job for saying that her favorite food was a baked potato. Baked potatoes are so good, RIGHT? They’re one of the most underrated foods. She’s not the first person to laud the baked potato. Ruth Reichl, my favorite NYT food critic mentioned in an interview that we don’t pay enough attention to the baked potato. She’s not wrong. As a kid, my dad would take us to Outback Steakhouse, and I’d always order a steak and a baked potato–the salt was flaky and crunchy on the outside, and I would eat the entire thing, skin included, dipped in A1.
So in a celebration of the underdog baked potato, I made a potato skin pizza with thin slices of red potatoes and chives and of course, bacon and cheddar cheese. When you take a bite, all is right in the world. Plus, I made a sourdough crust with a little tang to keep things interesting. You can use whatever pizza crust you like, but if you have a starter, try my recipe! It’s a chewy-crispy crust that holds up really well. Here’s how you make it.
After making your crust, spread it out on an oiled baking sheet with your fingertips, careful not to tear it. Then let it sit while you preheat the oven to 450 and prep your toppings.
Cook 6 slices of bacon on each side until crispy. Then put them on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Once cool, crumble them up with your hands.
Bring a 4 quart pot half full of water to boil. Thinly slice your potatoes into 1 mm slices (so very very thin). Then dump them into the boiling water until fork tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain them and place them in a bowl. Give them a little drizzle of olive oil, chop your rosemary and put it in there with a pinch of salt and mix together.
Start your pizza by drizzling with oil. Then Sprinkle with the cheddar. Add your bacon crumbles. Then place your potato slices on top, careful not to overlap. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Then sprinkle your cooked pizza with green onions.
Look at how crazy good this looks! And it tastes so good–almost as good as a baked potato.
The dough is a little bit involved, but if you’re a big baker, try your hand at it! Sourdough pizza crust has a great tangy flavor I just love.
Does anyone else love potatoes like me? See the full recipe below.
- 2⅓ cups plus 2 tbsp bread flour
- ¼ cup wheat flour
- ¾ cup water plus ⅓ cup water
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ cup liquid sourdough starter
- olive oil for drizzling
- ¼ lb baby red potatoes
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 tsp olive oil plus some for drizzling
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced
- kosher salt
- ¾ cup grated white cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 green onions, sliced crosswise
- In a large mixing bowl in a stand mixer, add the sourdough starter and ¾ cup water at room temperature. Mix together with your hand. Add the flours and salt and mix together with the stand mixer. Add the dough hook to start kneading. Once the dough is a thick mass and you've kneaded for about 3 minutes, add the additional ⅓ cup water. It will be a sticky dough. Knead one additional minute. Remove the bowl from the mixer and let it sit for 2 hours covered with saran wrap, stretching and folding every thirty minutes with your hand. Once it's sat out for two hours add to a well oiled bowl, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight or about 12 hours. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide into two parts, roll them into two balls, gently and put in an oiled baking dish, covering again with saran wrap. Let them sit until they've almost doubled, about 4 hours. Then you can spread them out flat on an oiled baking sheet with your fingertips to use. Each will make about a 12 inch thin crust pizza or should cover a standard baking sheet once you spread it out.
- Preheat the oven to 450.
- Bring a small saucepan filled halfway with water to a boil. Thinly slice your potatoes into 1 mm thick slices. (Very thin!) Pour the sliced potatoes into the boiling water and boil about 3-4 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and add to a small bowl. Toss with a little olive oil, a pinch of salt, and the chopped rosemary let cool while you make your other toppings.
- In a large nonstick pan, add the bacon slices, cooking each side until browned and crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Once cooled, break the bacon up into small crumbles with your hands. Set aside.
- Top your pizza crust with a drizzle of olive oil. Then add the grated cheddar. Sprinkle on the bacon and then layer the potatoes, not overlapping. Sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 15-18 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Top with the fresh green onions, slice and serve.
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