10/20

Creamy Pesto Potato Pizza

Food, Hot, Meal Ideas, Pizza, Savory
By Emma Chapman

Creamy pesto potato pizza (via abeautifulmess.com) This pizza is very much inspired by an awesome pizza I had in Iceland recently. I know, pizza is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Icelandic cuisine. I’m no expert as I’ve only been there once, but I have to agree. Nonetheless, we had some amazing pizza at Mikkeller & Friends (check them out—it looks like they have locations in a few different cities).

Before we dive into what this pizza is all about and how to make it, I’ve got to take a second here and say: I LOVE ICELAND. I think it might be my favorite place I’ve ever visited. I honestly just feel so lucky that I got to see that beautiful country and I’d love to go back some day if the fates allow. 🙂 Also, you should totally go if you ever get the chance, it’s remarkable.

Creamy pesto potato pizza (via abeautifulmess.com)OK, back to pizza. So the crust on this pizza is pretty amazing to eat but a little difficult to work with. I’ll explain more in a second. The sauce is a creamy pesto sauce that seriously takes about 2 minutes to make if you already have pesto made/bought. Then it gets topped with potatoes (carbs on carbs!) mozzarella, and finally some spinach, arugula and grated parmesan before you slice it up and serve.

Make this for yourself and others that you love because it’s a total winner.

Best yeasted pizza dough recipeCreamy Pesto Potato Pizza, serves 3-4.

For the crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
a pinch of sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
corn meal for the pan

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons pesto (I used store bought, but you can totally make your own.)
1/2 cup cream (I used heavy whipping but half and half would be fine too.)

For the toppings:
4-6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small can cooked potatoes, rinsed and sliced
2-3 big handfuls of fresh spinach and arugula
parmesan cheese for serving

First we make the dough. Stir a pinch of sugar in with the very warm water and then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let that sit for about 5 minutes. In another bowl combine the flours and salt. Pour the oil and yeast water in with the dry ingredients and stir until a very loose dough ball forms. This dough will be very wet—that’s OK. Feel free to use plenty of flour on your work surface and hands as you work with it so it doesn’t stick to everything. Knead a few times, just to make sure the dough is well combined, and then place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Place somewhere warm and allow to rise for 30 minutes to an hour until it’s nearly doubled in size.

Best white cream pizza sauceTowards the very end of your rise time, you can go ahead and make your sauce. In a small pot melt the butter over low/medium heat. Add the flour and whisk so a paste forms. Add 1/4 cup of the cream and whisk so the mixture is well combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the pesto and remaining cream. The mixture should be thick and spreadable at this point, but if it seems too thin to you, simply put it back on the heat for a few seconds or so to help it thicken up.

Roll out your dough on a well floured surface. Sprinkle cornmeal on your baking stone or lightly oiled pan. I’m currently moving, so my baking stone was MIA the day I snapped these photos. Sigh. No matter. The show must go on—pizza is at stake!

Bake the dough for about 5 minutes at 400°F. Then add your sauce, mozzarella and sliced potatoes. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until the edges of the crust begin to brown and the cheese becomes bubbly. Top with the spinach, arugula and a little parmesan.

Creamy pesto potato pizza (via abeautifulmess.com) Plan a pizza night this week and give this a try—you won’t be disappointed. xo. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.

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