Jim Lahey's Pizza Patate

If you've never visited New York City, then you are missing out.

If you have never visited Sullivan Street Bakery, then you are REALLY missing out!

I used to go in and buy a slice or two of pizza, cut from a long rectangle bread, served at room temperature.

No mozzarella cheese here.

Pizza Bianco (plain w/ olive oil)
Pizza Funghi (mushrooms)
Pizza Patate (w/ potatoes and rosemary)
Pizza Cipolle (w/ onions)
Pizza Cavolfiore (cauliflower!!!)
Pizza Zucchini

and always something special (like champagne grapes and sugar or celery root pizza).

This was the biggest treat of my life, and everytime we went into the city we would bring slices home, the oil always seeping thru the paper bag.

Well, Lahey's bread book has been my favorite weekend project, so why not try and recreate that wonderful potato pizza at home?? I know I can do it.

Since I've had such success with his no knead breads, I made his recipe for basic pizza dough from his book.

Though it says it makes 2 balls of dough, enough for two 13 x 18 baking pans (the large sheet pans), it really only made enough for the half sheet size pans (8 x 12).

I made one pizza, then froze the other ball for another Sunday (that's half the battle!).

Warning: It's a half a day project. I started my dough at around 10 a.m., and had a perfect pizza out of the oven by 3 pm on a Sunday afternoon.

Make the basic recipe for his pizza dough:

3 3/4 cups (500 grams) bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams) instant or active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon plus pinch (3 grams) sugar
1 1/3 cups (300 grams) room temperature water (72F)
olive oil for pan

In a bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water, and using a spoon, or your hands and mix together until blended -- about a minute. You don't want to mix or knead this dough too much, or else the gluten will develop and you won't be able to shape it in the pan. But you want to mix in all the lumps of flour. In the end, you'll arrive at a stiff dough.

Cover the dough in a glass bowl w/ plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours (I always like to leave it a bit longer).

Dump out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut it in half.

Dust w/ flour and wrap in a damp dishtowel and leave on the counter for another 30 minutes or so, or until you are ready to use the dough.

Use both pieces, or save one in the refrigerator (I used a zip lock bag) for up to 1 day, or store in the freezer for a month.

Oil an 8" x 12" half sheet pan or commerical grade rimmed baking sheet liberally with olive oil.

Gently plop the dough on the pan and stretch and press it out to the edges, using your hands (or my husband's big mitts). If it springs back (that's the gluten working) wait five minutes and then proceed. It should spread out without much of a problem. If it tears, just patch up the holes at the end.

Now you are ready for toppings!

For the Pizza Patate (potato w/ rosemary and onion):

1 quart (800 grams) lukewarm water
4 teaspoons (24 grams) table salt (I used Morton's)
6 to 8 small Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup (100 grams) diced yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) freshly ground black pepper
About 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 recipe (400 grams) Basic Pizza Dough
About 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat the oven to 500 F (260 C) with a rack in the middle.

You will need a mandoline for the potatoes.

Fill a large glass bowl w/ the water and salt.

Carefully, slice the potatoes into paper thin slices with the mandoline (BE CAREFUL!) and soak the potato slices in the brine for at least an hour and up to 3 hours.

Drain the potatoes in a colander, and pat dry with paper towels, trying to get most of the moisture out of the potatoes (this took a few towels).

When the potatoes are dry, mix them with the diced onions and season with black pepper only (you don't need any more salt, I promise) and drizzle with olive oil to coat.

Now you are ready to assemble the pizza.

Using a spoon, spread the potatoes and onions all over the dough, overlapping the edges of the dough in the pan, spreading them all out to cover.

Sprinkle on the rosemary leaves and you are ready to bake!

Place in a preheated HOT 500F oven for 30 minutes until potato edges are crispy and brown.

The pizza will slip out easily onto the cutting board. Slice and serve hot or at room temperature.

I swear, this tasted as good as Sullivan Street Bakery's version.

If you don't have this book yet, the holidays are coming, ask Santa to bring you one!

LOVED.

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