Recipe

potato pizza, even better

I have been holding out way too long on giving one of the great Roman pizzas, pizza con potate e rosmarino (which, like most things, sounds much sexier in Italian than the thudful translation of “potato pizza with rosemary”) the adoration-driven revisit it deserves on this site. I first talked about potato pizza here in 2008, but I never felt that the recipe did it justice. Jim Lahey, who had recently blown up everything we knew about making bread with his brilliant no-knead boule, was preparing to open a pizza place and had shared his potato pizza recipe with Martha Stewart, but I’d had trouble with it — the proportions seemed off (not enough potato, a persnickety dough), it was low on details I needed (like how big it was supposed to be), and it had pesky steps (like soaking the potatoes in several changes of ice water, so not fun if one lacks one of those fancy fridges with icemakers). But it wasn’t until went to Rome in 2013 that I realized exactly how far off it was from the ideal. (Don’t worry, Lahey is going to come rescue us in a bit.)


bring your husband to work day
soaking potato coins

Roman pizza con patate is something else. A soft, almost goopy dough, is neither rolled or even tossed in the air like some sort of cartoon, but stretched, pressed, nudged and patted with oiled or floured fingertips translucently thin into a rimmed rectangular pan. Potatoes that have been soaked in salt water until they’re as floppy as deli slices are spread in many layers all the way to the edges, and even thicker there, as it will get darkest most quickly. From the oven, the crust is chewy and crisp and the most buried layers of potato become soft while the ones on top curl, brown and crisp like potato chips, and yes, that means you can tell everyone you’re eating potato chip pizza for dinner and watch the pangs of envy spread across their face.

bendy potato petals
the dough will barely make it across
drained, blotting
a slippery mess of potato

A study in minimalism, like most Roman cooking, it’s also something of a weeknight triumph — it requires all of three ingredients (potatoes, onion and rosemary) besides olive oil, salt, pepper, water, flour, yeast, which means it’s also vegan. It sounds like something that would be very heavy, but it’s quite the opposite; our favorite way to eat it is alongside a green salad or, if you’ve gotten your hand on asparagus, ramps and other spring delights and it’s not, say, 42 degrees where you are right now, we love it with spring vegetables.

potato pizza (pizza con potate)
potato pizza (pizza con potate)
potato pizza (pizza con potate)

A few other pizza favorites:

jim-laheys-pizza-bianca shaved-asparagus-pizza ramp-pizza lemony-zucchini-goat-cheese-pizza grilled-eggplant-and-olive-pizza breakfast-pizza

One year ago: Obsessively Good Avocado Cucumber Salad
Two years ago: Three Bean Chili
Three years ago: Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Feta and Tahini
Four years ago: Over-The-Top Mushroom Quiche
Five years ago: Apple Tarte Tatin, Anew
Six years ago: Hazelnut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies and Baked Kale Chips
Seven years ago: Beef Empanadas
Eight years ago: Shaker Lemon Pie
Nine years ago: Arugula Ravioli and Mixed Berry Pavlova

And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: S’More Cupcakes
1.5 Years Ago: The Crispy Egg
2.5 Years Ago: Frico Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
3.5 Years Ago: Spaghetti with Broccoli Cream Pesto
4.5 Years Ago: Apple Pie Cookies

Potato Pizza, Even Better
Adapted from Jim Lahey’s My Bread

Notes:

  • A tiny bit more context: Potato pizza is one kind the pizza al taglio that is considered daytime pizza in Rome, baked in electric ovens in large rectangular or oblong shapes, cut with scissors to the size you desire, and sold by weight. Wood-burning ovens historically weren’t allowed to run until 6 p.m. in Rome, and this was the delicious modification that emerged. Potato pizza is a variation on the gold standard of Roman bread, pizza bianca — pizza with just olive oil, rosemary and salt that amounts to so much more than it sounds.
  • Did you read that part about the electric oven? Unlike most of the pizza gushed over these days, this is not pizza optimized for 900-degree pizza ovens notably absent in most homes, but the ovens we already have. Not that it wouldn’t be amazing in a wood-fired pizza oven, but if you don’t have one in that cramped studio walk-up, you’re not going to start this recipe already at a loss.
  • Despite struggling with his first printed version, Lahey himself came to the rescue in 2012 with a much easier to follow potato pizza recipe in his first book that I’ve had great success with, so let us all applaud the silent co-authors of cookbooks that make great chef recipes work for the rest of us. The newer version lets us know exactly how big of a tray you’ll need, uses more potatoes, a simpler process of preparing them and I mean, just look at the results. (Well, not too closely. I was busy with a baby a nearly burnt mine.)
  • Want to make this with sweet potatoes? Lahey says that this version [Pizza Batata] should be made with slightly more water (4 1/2 cups) for the same amount of salt, and that 2 sweet potatoes (800 grams) is all you’ll need. Skip the rosemary.

1 recipe pizza dough (below) or about a 2/3 volume of my lazy fitted-to-your-schedule favorite or your favorite, whichever it may be

4 teaspoons fine sea or table salt
6 to 8 (1 kilo) small to medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil
About 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

In a medium bowl, combine the 1 quart lukewarm water with salt, stirring until the salt has dissolved. Use a mandoline or your best sharpest knife to slice the potatoes very thin (1/16 inch thick), and put the sliced directly into the salted water, which prevents oxidation and also helps soften them so they cook up nicely. Lahey says to let them soak for 1 1/2 hours or up to 12 in the fridge overnight, but I was quite happy with my results after a 25 to 30 minute soak.

Heat your oven to 500°F with a rack in the center. Brush either 1 13×18-inch rimmed half-sheet pan or 2 9×13-inch quarter-sheet pans (shown) with olive oil. Divide your risen dough in half and use your fingertips, oiled or dusted with flour, to pull, stretch, nudge and press the dough across the bottom of the pan. The dough will be thin and imperfect. If holes form, just pinch them together. It’s all going to work out, promise.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and use your hands to press out as much water as possible, then pat dry on paper towels. In a medium bowl, toss the potato slices with the onion, pepper, and olive oil. Spread this potato mixture over your dough, going all the way to the edges so that there’s no uncovered edge; put a bit more topping around the edges of the pie, as the outside tends to cook more quickly. Sprinkle evenly with rosemary. Usually the salt the potatoes were soaked in is enough, but you can sprinkle more on if desired.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is starting to turn golden brown and the crust is nicely bronzed underneath. Serve pizza hot or at room temperature.

Jim Lahey’s Basic Pizza Dough
This is halved and modified slightly

2 cups minus 1 tablespoon (250 grams) all-purpose or bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons (5 grams) instant or active dry yeast
A heaped 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
A heaped 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
2/3 cups (150 grams) room temperature water

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until well blended, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Continue using instructions above.

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177 comments on potato pizza, even better

  1. Sharyn

    I am making my best pizza dough ever using my bread machine. This sounds good and I would try making the dough in the machine it always comes out perfect. I make a pizza with some red sauce, sautéed onions and mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, pesto and a little genoa salami.

  2. PMM

    YES!!! My favorite Roman pizza! Cannot wait to try this recipe. How do you feel about shredded potato? I’ve had both styles in Rome. The texture of the shredded potato is actually quite nice.

  3. I looovvee love potato pizza! I’m not going to lie, I definitely add a little fontina or gruyere atop my fave recipe…but I’d like it like this too! Considering it’s snowing right now in Boston, I’m looking at making this alongside some sort of roasted veggies. Thanks for sharing!!

  4. Oh my. I’ve never had potato pizza (except for a baked potato pizza which is some sort of upper Midwestern monstrosity/brilliance, depending on how much you’ve had to drink already), but this looks phenomenal. It looks like one of those beautiful dishes where good things put together become a great thing on its own. I can’t wait to try this.

  5. deb

    Sharyn — I have had it with crumbled baked or boiled potato and cheese, but not shredded. I don’t think there is a version I wouldn’t like, however, but I am biased towards the bronzed coin look of this one.

    Emily — I added a Jim Lahey’s sweet potato suggestion from the book for you in the headnotes.

  6. Diane

    The Guardian!!! When did this start? Have I been under a pile of laundry? I am thrilled for you. Congratulations. Potato pizza tonite.

  7. Madison

    I’ll be making this and the asparagus pizza alongside your spring salad with new potatoes for dinner tonight. The unintentional theme of asparagus and potatoes is thrilling.

  8. Ivana

    An Italian pizza chain in Belgium makes this kind of pizza, but with the addition of a creamy truffle sauce – yum yum yum!

  9. Nikki

    I can’t believe that I’ve never heard of potato pizza (despite being a huge fan of this site! Don’t know how I missed the previous recipe….)
    For anyone that wants to try it it with sweet potatoes, you could try oregano in place of the rosemary. Sounds like a strange combo, but it’s delicious, I promise!

  10. This sounds SO GOOD!! When I lived in Switzerland I had a friend who used to put potatoes in her baked pasta dishes with cream sauce. When I told her that wasn’t something I’d come across before she said “I put it on my pizza too!” Since then, I’ve been looking for a recipe to make. Totally trying this!

  11. I just had the worst doctors visit ever (infertility stinks!!!) and was crying and was thinking pizza tonight to settle my nerves and you just helped revive my day with this potato pizza. I’m going to make this to soothe my sore spirits and try to get on with my life. It looks fabulous and there’s nothing quite like comfort food.

  12. JP

    Typo alert: “spread this potato mixture over this potato mixture…”. Just spread the potato mixture over the dough, right? Looks yummy, but I am another reader who might be forced to add a little cheese. Thanks!

  13. Renee

    See how your dough, having been stretched by hand and not rolled, is uneven? Even has holes? This never ends well for me Those holes seem to not handle the wet ingredients (like if it’s a red sauce pizza) and rather than crisping in those areas cause it’s thin, it gets soggy and falls apart. Also sticks to the pan. Is this not the case for you? Because of this, I roll all my doughs so they’re even and cook even, but then the dough is overworked.

  14. katherine

    This looks amazing. I have a mandoline but I have to confess I’m scared of it. Would food processor slicing disc be OK?

  15. HoS

    Hi Deb — could we please talk for a second about the texture of the crust once baked? What should I expect? Completely crisp? Soft/chewy inside, at least in the thicker parts?

    I made your lazy pizza dough this weekend (22 hour version) and was quite happy with it overall, esp with the portion of the dough that got an extra 16-20 hours in the fridge. It puffed nicely, tasted great, and even had nice holes in the texture, esp the last pizza. But it felt just a little too crisp each time, and the softer/chewier textures were mostly missing.

    What am I doing wrong? Baking it too long? Stretching the dough too thin? Should I add some extra tablespoons water next time? All suggestions appreciated :)

    Thanks, as always, for all your great work!

  16. I have a potato quiche’y thing’y just as non-persnickety that I die for. The simple ingredients and possible sweet potato angle here speak to me like the Potato Whisperer!

  17. deb

    HoS — Ideally, it would be stretchy inside and crisp outside, however it happens sometimes that it just gets crunchy, usually from baking too long or it being too thin. For best results, keep the dough as sticky as possible by resisting adding more water just because it’s soft. Seriously, look at the texture of the dough in this video (I too am impressed). Hope that helps.

    katherine — Slicing disc would be thicker. Here’s the thing nobody tells you about the mandoline: you don’t have to slice down to the nub i.e. the part where your fingertips are most at risk. You can get close and slice the ends by hand if you’re very nervous. You can also buy these, which many commenters here swear by (by I dislike my fingertips so I haven’t bought them).

    Renee — What had actually happened here is that I didn’t divide the dough evenly and that first half with the holes was a little shorted. This shouldn’t happen to you. That said, I just pinched it together and for a pizza like this especially, without messy sauces, it’s a non-issue even if something did leak. (But nothing did.)

    JP — Thanks. Try to resist the cheese, at least on the first run. There’s nuance in this that I think gets lost with cheese. And you’re talking to a total cheese-head, heh.

    Diane — Thank you, it was just a two weekend thing. Not sure if they’ll ask me to do more, but feel free to put in a good word. :)

    Tartiflette — How I looooove this (as a gratin). My friend used to make this for us for dinner parties. She’d buy a WHEEL of reblochon at, like, Whole Foods and they’d look at her like she had two heads. (This and the multiple containers of creme fraiche.) I have been eager to put a recipe for this on the site but am pretty sure nobody wants to know about it.

    Laura — Boo, I’m so sorry. I hope this will be a delicious distraction. And wine, if you can sneak it in.

  18. OMG OMG OMG! This recipe post is like Christmas come early!!!! I absolutely freakin love this pizza. My family is from a small village south of Rome, perhaps closer to Naples, called Fondi. I swear to God we would get this pizza every single day when we were there. There has never been a pizza, not even in Naples, that made me want more the way this pizza does. I live in Chicago and there was a rumor there was a guy that could make this. I didn’t want to be disappointed so never even bothered. I am so beyond excited to try this recipe. Thank you thank you for sharing. M

  19. HoS

    Wow, the dough in that video basically has the texture of thick cake batter or thick bechamel. Any idea how they get that? I mean, the choices are limited, right? More water, less yeast, more time, more gluten in the flour? Any other parameters I’m missing? One of these food lab types haven’t gotten it to work at home yet?

    Anyway — I will stop being anal for now :) Thanks.

  20. Helen in CA

    Not so sure this is vegan, tho. What w/the little yeast beasties. Looking forward to trying this (not being vegan myself)

  21. JM

    Can you let the dough in this recipe rest overnight like your Lazy Pizza Dough recipe? Or will it turn out differently?

  22. Randi

    This sounds good. However PW has an over the top leek, potato and bacon pizza that is SOOO GOOD! I’ll have to try this even though I am a cheese and over the top food lover.

  23. Jen

    I was just discussing Roman potato pizza with my family this weekend! I’ll have to try this recipe–looks wonderful!

    Another variation we have enjoyed adds caramelized onions and blue cheese on top of the potatoes–fancier, yes, and no longer vegan, but a wonderful flavor/texture combination.

  24. Laura in CA

    Curious – what does everyone eat with this? I feel if I ate this as a meal, I’d be eating only starches and some fat… and with no source of protein, I’d be left unsatisfied (vegetarian protein sources I’m 100% fine with as suggestions!)

  25. Mai

    Ahhhh I took my run down to river north yesterday and now I’m seriously regretting not stopping and getting a slice of this from Eataly’s La Focaccia! Can’t wait to try this out though since it’s one of my favourites from there and I never really thought about making it at home!

  26. This recipe sounds so extraordinary, and it’s finally something different from the ‘normal’ pizza you eat every time because you’re sometimes too chicken to try something new. But I will definitely try this one! Thanks for sharing this!

  27. I first put potato on a pizza when I was cooking for our Super Bowl party – “New England – Clam Chowda Pizza. It was melded with a seafood béchamel and fresh from the shell, steamed clams with paper thin slicers of potato and a fresh celery leaves. I didn’t use as many potatoes, but now I think I’ll have to give this one a go, it looks divine! Thanks for clearing up the method for us. BTW – your links to this post didn’t work in the e-mail — it kept opening up a page that said about : blank. Weird!

  28. Natasha

    Hi Deb! Knocking it out of the park, as always!!

    My partner just yesterday announced that he would make his ‘famous’ potato pizza this week (his is from Nigel Slater) and I can’t wait to tell him about your suggestions here for thin crispiness! His recipe uses thyme, caramelized onions, a bit of fontina and served with dollops of creme fraiche (NOT light! But delicious!)

    No-knead bread has also been topic du jour at our house lately (are you psychic?!). And my favorite article right now is the Serious Eats testing and revamp of Jim’s recipe. Combined with J.Kenji Lopez’ ‘skillet-broiler’ method, we’ve made some unreal ‘wood-fired’ neapolitan pizza in our regular gas oven.

    http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/06/the-food-lab-the-science-of-no-knead-dough.html

  29. Margy

    Re tartiflette (Nadia@maisontravers, 21, and Deb’s response), speaking for myself, I WILDLY want to know about it, and I am pretty sure others do too. Life is so much better with cheese. I suppose I can search anxiously through French cookbook indexes, but Smitten versions are always so happy-making.

  30. Susan

    The Pucinni’ s chain has an over-the-top Twice Baked Potato pizza that is pretty much the opposite of this minimalist master piece; none the less, your potato loving readers might be interested. Baked potatoes are cooled and sliced into rounds. The sauce is a white buttermilk-ranch type. They use guryere cheese, then top with potato rounds, covered with generous amount of chopped bacon (& good quality bacon, too) and spring onions sliced in rounds. Then baked. It is a monstrosity, and really good! But I love the simplicity of this Roman style pizza, and it sounds like something I could actually pull off at home, plus, the ingredients are so cheap!

  31. Whoa, that video you linked to Deb- makes me want to be an Italian pizza making lady. Somehow I think those women don’t spend as much of their day fretting about losing weight and being productive and getting lost in internet rabbit holes as I do. I want that music playing in the background of my life while I make sticky-dough pizzas. To my Q: I’m surprised to see the 500 degrees for 30 mins after your complaint of the original recipe burning at 440 for 30 mins. Maybe that’s the whole point of the salt soak; it keeps them from burning? plus a thick layer of tots maybe helps to protect the dough from burning?

  32. stephanie

    you know that thing that happens, where you’ve never heard of something but then as soon as you do, it starts popping up all over? that is tartiflette for me this week, and i would very much like to know about it, from you, recipe-wise. so that’s three votes so far, and i’m sure many more would agree! :)

    (it started as a result of making the hasselback scalloped potatoes from serious eats, which i thought were good potatoes, but adding tons of cream and cheese produced a dish that was neither creamy nor cheesy, which was disappointing.)

  33. deb

    Helen — Yeast are microorganisms, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a vegan swearing them off.

    Molly — Indeed — there are a lot more potatoes on this one and that’s why it bakes longer. The 440 vs. 500 makes almost no difference.

    Jill — I didn’t have extra dough, or did you mean if I used my own recipe? I actually used Lahey’s this time, because I always want to try new-to-me ones. To me, though, they all taste the same in the end unless we give them a day or three in the fridge.

    Laura — I love this with a green salad, or roasted asparagus or basically whatever vegetable looks good to you right now. Think of it as the bread portion of your meal, but bread worthy of being a centerpiece.

  34. Sarah U

    Deb, perfect timing. I’m dairy-free for the first time in my life because apparently my baby whom I am nursing is dairy-sensitive, meaning I haven’t had pizza in – I don’t want to think about how long, actually – so a pizza without cheese basically sounds like the most delicious and brilliant food ever. And my hubs considers potatoes his fav “veggie” so I think all in all, this is health food. On the menu this weekend. Thanks!

  35. JessB

    THIS.IS.AMAZING…and mine was almost burnt-burnt because I had to run to get a kid from school while it was in the oven. Do not add cheese and just use the dough recipe Deb provides. The only thing I’d do differently next time is sprinkle salt on top before baking. Delicious!

  36. Marcia

    Soo… My favorite version of this is made at GRANA in Jamesport.Main road on the way out to NOFO. It has thinly sliced red onions . Their Pizzas are huge and we always order too much so we can take some home and have it immediately when we are thinking about how much we want some more .

  37. tara@littlehomekitchen.wordpress

    Thanks for the inspiration and the details. We made this tonight, and O.M.G. it was so good!!!!! In my oven, it took a little longer, but no one complained once the pizza hit the table.

  38. Jen

    I made this for lunch today and it came out perfect! The only thing I changed was subbing fresh sage for the rosemary because I was out, and that worked well–definitely going to try it with rosemary though. This recipe is definitely going into my regular rotation. Thanks!

  39. I adore potato pizza and learned to make it years ago from Lydia Marshall at her cooking studio in the West Village. She actually has a potato cookbook which contains the recipe. She also uses fresh mozzarella between the dough and potatoes layer. I have been making it for years and it continues to be a m major crowd pleaser.

  40. I refer to your Jim Lahey’s dough recipe which you adapted the rising times for ever time I take out his book and make pizza dough. It’s fool proof!! I love it :)

    This potato pizza looks so so delicious.. It’s breakfast here right now and I’m drinking coffee while typing this but want a slice of pizza to go with it. NOW. YUM!! Will be giving it a go this week for sure! Do you think some blanched silver-beet would be a nice addition or just stick to potato, rosemary and onion?

    Love your recipes! x

    ps. any news on book 2? or have I been living under a rock & missed the post?

  41. Winona

    Do you think using any other kinds of potato would work, or would that adjust the starchiness/taste of it? I have so many red potatoes kicking around.

  42. Scott

    I made this recipe and its wrong. 2 cups of flour to 2/3 cup water is not Laheys recipe and doesn’t work. The potatoes burned and didn’t cook evenly. The onion was raw and the potato was burnt. It was gross. Don’t waste your time on this flawed recipe.

  43. Ivana

    This is totally random and unrelated to the recipe above, but I keep thinking of you every time I make this Griddled Courgette Salad: http://www.eattravellive.com/recipe/griddled-courgette-salad/
    It’s a recipe from James Ramsden’s “Love Your Lunchbox” cookbook and one that rocketed straight into a weekly rotation from the moment I first tried it. And every time I eat it, I think to myself ‘Deb would love this!’

    1. deb

      Ivana — It sounds delicious. I have two questions: do you make it on a grill or a stovetop grill plate? And do you find halloumi pricy? I adore it but have yet to find a block (that we would easily finish in a meal for 3/4) for less than $10. Although now I read that back to myself, I wonder why I’d consider double that worth it for steak but not this otherworldly cheese. ;)

  44. Charlotte

    Yay! You may have just solved my dilemma of what to serve for a meatless meal that doesn’t have beans or lentils (husband and kid won’t eat) or cheese in order to meet a requirement for my kid’s climate change showdown for school. Looks amazing!

  45. JessB

    Update: This is delicious cold, straight from the fridge. And since I baked mine so much darker than Deb showed, the crust was still crunchy too! 3 year old approved!

  46. This is one of my favorite pizza al taglio, together with the spianata al rosmarino, and it’s good either warm or cold. It’s the only type of pizza that I will allow to have a thin small crust. As anything you cook, it looks delicious. Pizza al taglio is not just daytime pizza anymore ;)

  47. Julie

    Thanks, Deb, for the tutorial on Roman pizza. The best potato pizza I had was in Lake Como, wandering around by myself more than ten years ago. All it had was what yours has: potatoes, rosemary and olive oil. I’m not sure it even had onions but I didn’t stop to inspect, I was so busy filling my face. It was swoon-able. I have made variations many times, sometimes with a little first layer of a tiny bit of fontina. Sometimes with some tiny cubes of pancetta, fried a bit first. Sometimes I finely chop the rosemary and save half of it for when the pizza comes out of the oven. Sometimes some dried red pepper. But always it comes back to the potatoes. And isn’t it so lovely that most “porta via” pizzas in Rome do NOT have tomatoes?
    thanks again.

  48. Emm

    Made this tonight and it was scrumptious. I used the adapted Jim Lahey pizza dough recipe you provided here, and at first my dough was somewhat dry and all the flour couldn’t be incorporated. After adding water bit by bit and deciding to err on the wet side, I found my dough needed about an extra half cup of water to get it to a good and sticky, almost goopy, consistency. It baked up perfectly chewy in some places and crispy in others, and it’s now my new favorite pizza dough recipe.

    As for the rest of the recipe, I followed it to the letter, and it turned out just as described, almost gratin-like in the middle and crispy on the top. So easy, too. Thank you!

  49. Stephanie

    A beautiful red headed curly top baby! I have one of those, (okay, she is 22). You will have to beat the boys off with a stick. Amazing that you have time to cook at all! This pizza looks like a carb overload, saving it for the weekend.

    One thing I love about your recipes, no nasty calorie information. Just really ruins the appeal!

  50. Nancy

    Avacado toast where have you been all my life??? I never even heard of it til I saw it here, and then promptly forgot about it. Until this past weekend when I saw an avacado on my counter and gave it a try. Now I CANT STOP EATING it. Thanks for a great blog.

  51. JessB

    I did add extra water to my dough too. 2/3 of a cup wasn’t enough. For anyone saying it was soggy, it just needed baked more. I literally burnt mine around the edges and it was perfectly crunchy everywhere else.

  52. Jo

    Qk – I guess I’ll have to buy a mandolin now.! This looks amazing and Yukon gold potatoes are amazing so creamy and delicious we have been having a cracker crus pizza twice a week because it is so easy and delicious but I’m missing the more chewy crust. Anyone interested in a great easy fast cracker like crust try two red bowls recipe only takes 30 minutes to “rise”.
    I’ve been on a choclate kick these last 3 weeks and your salted choclate chunk cookies are amazing and the choclate loaf cake ( served with fresh strawberries that were outrageously expensive but actually really good). The dough is so good I’m tempted to make a batch with just some walnuts and drizzle choclate over them so I an enjoy the dough more.
    Don’t know what we would do without you – you make my day with your wonderful writing and recipes.!

  53. Lindsay

    We’re gluten and dairy free over here and I’m excited to eat this pizza! I used a cup-for-cup GF flour and found that 2/3c water wasn’t even close enough to get the dough together. It was more like a cup. But I read the comments and everyone else was ok w 2/3c water? Normally the SK recipes translate to GFDF so well, I’m wondering if I missed something. Seems to be rising well.

    Omg potatoes and pizza?! Seriously can’t wait.

  54. Sarah U

    Made this last night with Nancy’s chopped salad – one of my fav salads with pizza – and everything was delicious! Absolutely loved the rosemary! Our friend, who we had over for dinner, is headed to Rome next week and I insisted she hunt down potato pizza and try it! I think next time I might broil it for a minute at the end to get even more crispies on the taters. :) Thanks for another great recipe. Can’t wait for leftovers today.

  55. Katy

    Lahey is mad. Rosemary is delicious with sweet potatoes. I put rosemary or herbes de provence on all my sweet potato oven fries, along with as many grinds of black pepper as my endurance will allow. Please try this combo on your pizza!

  56. Emily

    Am I the only lazy jerk who’s going to ask your thoughts on store-bought pizza dough? I have a fussy baby and a spirited toddler on my hands and Trader Joe’s refrigerated dough is looking very tempting to me right now.

  57. Louisa

    I have russet potatoes on hand, and am wondering if they can be substituted just to avoid another trip to the store?

  58. Nique

    Just made this with a very patient 5 year old. Soaked the potatoes for ~6 hours. We used fennel instead of rosemary and white instead of black pepper.
    Fabulous !

  59. Anne

    I made this yesterday. I let the dough rise only 45m because we were hungry and didn’t want to wait for dinner. No problem at all. Nice crust. I didn’t pat dry the potatoes because with an oven at 500 degrees it is not really necessary – no problem there. However, I indeed also thought that between the salt in the water for the potatoes and the salt in the dough, it would be enough but I should have sprinkled some on with the Rosemary. Everyone was adding salt to their pizza all through dinner. Oops. Defs recommend sprinkling more salt on. Overall a good recipe, we enjoyed it.

  60. Anne

    Also to respond to Louisa above – we used Russet potatoes. I thought it was good with russet. Don’t know if it would be more delicious with Yukon but it defs works with russet.

  61. Carrie

    I did this last night and cheated with Trader Joe’s pizza dough in a bag, and I added a spoonful of alfredo sauce from a jar before putting down the potatoes. I chopped up my rosemary because I don’t like the texture of the whole leaves. It cooked up beautifully and tasted divine. It even looked nice! My six year-old refused to eat it but hubby and I loved it. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!

  62. I use Jim Leahy’s pizza dough, from Jenny’s Dinner a Love Story, everytime I make pizza. It was life changing! I mean, no need to knead! It looks exactly like your photo above when I get it all stretched out on the baking sheet. I can’t wait to make this potato version. Yum!

  63. Vanessa

    I have to say, I didn’t love this. I found the dough to get overly crispy because of the lack of sauce, and for it just not really to gel beyond being potatoes and rosemary on flatbread. Back to saucy pizzas for now.

  64. Jane

    Another vote from me for the fun of reading the results of Deb dancing through a wheel or two of reblochon cheese, a slab of bacon, a bottle of dry white wine, and lots of onions, potatoes, salt and pepper in search of the ultimate tartiflette recipe. Mon dieu, the sacrifice! Heck, the photographs alone will be worth the (free) price of admission – and just looking at pictures of the gol darn dish will probably add a pound or two to my middle. My husband bicycled through the French Alps a few summers ago and when he returned he made tartifilette to take to our grandbaby’s shower/ celebration. Even though the tartifillete had stiff competition with the host’s fresh caught and grilled salmon (we live in the Pacific Northwest) the tartifilette was the first dish to be devoured in its entirety. Thanks to Deb for the gorgeous potato pizza – yum!

  65. Laura in CA

    Tried to make this but after 3 hours, my dough didn’t rise! I used all the right ingredients? Maybe didn’t cover it well enough? I taped down the syran wrap to help it stay… Maybe I’ll buy pizza dough from the store or I’ll find another recipe to use mandolined potatoes in haha!

  66. Laura in CA

    Update – my mom told me that the water I added was too hot and so killed the yeast. I post this update in case anyone else doesn’t take seriously the ingredient of “room temperature water.” I just turned on the kitchen sink (mine runs crazy hot) and did my best to find room temperature.

  67. Tammy

    I agree with #94 Vanessa. This tasted more like potatoes on flatbread than pizza. I think it would work okay as an appetizer or side dish but it’s not filling enough to be an entree.

  68. Becky

    I finally made this tonight and it was a hit! I actually followed a recipe for once and it was a hit with omnivores! My dough didn’t double in two hours (even though the kitchen was quite warm and my water wasn’t too warm), but I just went with it and it turned out fine. I was afraid 1kg of potatoes would be too much, but the layers of potato made for a nice contrast of creamy in the middle and crunchy on top and bottom. I set my potatoes to soak after making the dough, so they soaked for nearly 2 hours and it worked out well.

  69. K

    Hi Deb and all,

    Thank you so much as always! I’m making a bunch of stuff in the next couple days for vegan friends who just had a baby. I’d love to par-bake this and stash it in their freezer. Any suggestions (or a link to a general guide you like) on how long to bake/temp before freezing? Can I just bake halfway and instruct them to bake the rest of the time at the same temp throughout? Thank you!

    1. deb

      K — I believe that would work. In general, when freezing, I find baking something so it’s pale but mostly cooked is best. Let them bring it back up with color. 375 or 400 should be fine if defrosted.

  70. Lizzy

    I found this very delicious. I ran 5 miles before dinner and had zero hesitation to wolf down pretty much a whole one of these pizzas. I was thinking, mid-wolfing, that this would be terribly lovely with an egg on it. I guess we’ll just have to make it again!

  71. Allie H.

    Hi there! I love potatoes and I love pizza, put them together and I’m in love! This recipe seems really simple, but I was wondering if it’s possible to add more spices to this potato pizza since I’m crazy about spices. If you think that would work, what spices do you recommend putting on it? There are just so many options that I don’t know what would go best with it. Can’t wait to try this!

  72. Elizabeth

    It’s been a while since I have made this, but I have been making a version of this for years after studying in Italy. And though this moves away from the simplistic approach, I have mixed and matched adding sauteed leeks, toasted pinenuts, roasted garlic and goat cheese. Thanks for the reminder of such a tasty meal!

  73. Rebecca

    A recent discovery is Tartiflette pizza in France. They’ve taken Tartiflette (a very popular casserole made from layered potatoes, lardons, reblochon cheese and onions) and stuck it on top of pizza… Mmmm…

  74. Erin

    I’ve now made this multiple times. My notes:
    – I make Deb’s pizza dough recipe for this (and all pizzas). It never fails.
    – I always use a red onion rather than a white one, and slice it into thin half-moons rather than dicing. The flavour works especially well with the rosemary.
    – I have a pizza stone but I don’t use it for this. Because this needs longer in the oven than a normal pizza to get the potatoes cooked, you risk burning the crust with the searing heat of a stone before the topping is done.
    – Sprinkle some polenta over the pan before stretching out your dough. Helps with crisping, gives a more authentic flavour/texture and no sticking.
    – Try mixing some softened butter with minced garlic and anchovies and spreading it over the dough before the potatoes. It’s not strictly necessary but we love it.

  75. I forgot the onions (how can you forget the onions?) and added them at the last minute, just doing thin slices and tucking some under the top layer, some over. Worked fine! Delicious.

  76. AMD

    In the late 80’s I worked with an Italian woman in Toronto. She brought in a potato pizza to share with us at lunch. It was the best pizza I have ever eaten. I have tried to replicate that one since without success. I am going to try this Saturday with some girlfriends I am having over. Will let you know how I make out.

  77. Amy Slotten

    I’m late to the party but have plans for this pizza this week. Any idea the weight of the pizza dough used for these 2 pizzas? When using my dough, I know how much to use by weight and size of my pan. Thanks.

  78. cathybrooke

    Um, so I made the dough to make the pizza for tonight, but it seemed pretty dry and shaggy, and did not rise.
    I checked the recipe again, and used the correct measurements…any ideas?
    2/3 c water to 2 c flour seems like maybe not enough?

    1. So I just attempted this crust and it came nowhere close to doubling in size after 2 hours. Is this a problem with my yeast or I was wondering if it was a recipe issue also…

      1. Gail

        I had exactly the same problem. I even went and bought new yeast. The dough was much too dry and never rose properly. I’ve never had this problem before.

  79. cathybrooke

    Added some water to the dough, let it sit for a bit more, pushed it all out (it was softer). Sadly, the crust burned. Otherwise it wasn’t bad. :)
    Will try one more time before giving up.

  80. Theresa

    I am eating this as we speak! It is so yummy and the easiest pizza I’ve ever made. I’ve never had this before, let alone made it, but I’ve always wanted to try it. This was too easy a recipe to pass up.

    I had some dough in the freezer from the last time I made pizza so that part was already done. The rest was as easy as 1, 2, 3.

    This would be a perfect appetizer or finger food for a cocktail party.

    I can’t wait to make it again.

    1. deb

      I think it would be okay here, though I think of them as less waxy than Yukon Gold which means they’re more likely to fall apart. But I bet they won’t.

  81. Tamara

    I made quite a few minor tweaks (butter in place of oil, some garlic powder, Deb’s quick dough recipe). The interesting change I made was to add some grapes near the end. Roasted grapes are surprisingly tasty and this pizza seems just a little boring without something extra. Once, I tried some crumbled bacon, but the flavor didn’t mesh well.

    1. This pizza could have used some extra oomph so I’ll try adding bacon and cheese next time. But I loved how it was part roasted potato and part potato chip on top. So good!

  82. I made this for the fourth or fifth time last night, but I had a really helpful prep breakthrough. I used my salad spinner to drain and dry the potato slices. No squeezing or towelling required. It was simple and quick. I’m sticking with this approach from now on.

    1. Erin

      THANK YOU. Every time I make this, that’s the one part that I hate. It always takes way longer than I count on, and uses up a trillion paper towels. Great tip.

  83. Dawn

    Delicious! I sprinkled on a bit of good basalmic vinegar to brighten it up. The creamy potato / crispy pizza dough is craveable. Will make again!

  84. Patty

    Lately I have felt like certain recipes were taunting me to make them. I stopped at the library this past Friday and ended up where I always do, the cookbook section. I didn’t know much about Jim Lahey, but leafed through his My Bread book and decided to check it out after seeing the pizza con patate recipe. And it seemed familiar. I think your feed had the recipe that day or something. What are the odds? Anyway, I had all the ingredients and since Friday night is pizza night I decided to give it a go. I was a little light on the potatoes but figured it was forgiving (it is, but more would be better). Decided to make some quick garlic oil with one clove and used that to add to potatoes. Only had shallots, but perfect. Skipped rosemary as oregano sounded better. FANTASTIC! So adaptable. I
    Think a little cheese (Parmesan?) would add something. Can’t wait to make again. Also helping me conquer my fear of my mandoline slicer. Thanks, Deb! Appreciate your thoughts on a cheese recommendation.

  85. Lyn

    I’ve come back to this recipe again and again, Deb! Love it! Today I’ve changed the topping up a bit by using a combination of Yukon gold potatoes, a parsnip, and a couple of small white kolrabi. Cuz that’s what I had that added up to the 1 kilo called for in your recipe. It’s delicious! So don’t be afraid of using similar kinds of veg that you might have in your fridge. I’m often surprised (in a good way!) by the results :) Thanks for this and all your fabulous, foolproof recipes, Deb! You are my constant inspiration!

  86. hollyrancher

    I just finished eating this pizza, and it was SO GOOD I felt compelled to leave a comment! I used the lazy pizza dough recipe instead of the one here, but I didn’t change the toppings at all.

    I feel like this would be really good as an appetizer for a dinner party. Next time I make it I might add some crumbled bacon on top to add a little more zing, but it is so good on its own!

  87. Marie

    I made it written except for the oven temp. My baking sheets tend to stick no matter what so i covered my pan with parchemin paper and heated up the oven at 450. It took about 25 minutes. It was sooooo good! The crust (i used the one in this recipe) was ridiculsly paper thin and quite easy to manipulate, the potatoes were crispy yet soft in the middle, it was really easy to make and really delicious! I will this so many times again, yum!

    I was however perplex at one of the step. You say to split the dough in half, i am assuming it’s because we use both half and not because we use one half and store for later the other? I did end up making 2 pizzas with the entire pizza dough recipe and piled the potato evenly between both dough.

  88. Calisson

    This came out really well, and I don’t even own a mandoline (I might have sliced the potatoes 1/8″, certainly no thinner). Also I didn’t plan ahead and only soaked them for about 20 minutes. A corner cut is a corner earned!

  89. I just wanted to comment and say, I made this and it’s the best potato pizza I’ve ever eaten and it works! you think it’s heaps of potato but you trust Deb and it works! Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou :)

  90. Nicole

    I left the peels on (though my water bath did turn an unfortunate brown sludge color) and used russet potatoes. They crisped up just fine and the skins were not at all noticeable.

    Despite using olive oil on the potatoes per the recipe and an extra drizzle after coming out of the oven, we found this pizza — though delicious — to be too dry. We also lightly tossed arugula in olive oil and topped each slice after baking (delicious!). But I’ll be attempting this with some fresh mozerllla or maybe a beschamel sauce or pesto in the future.

  91. hyphenatedcanadian

    I tried this last weekend and wonder if there is an omission/mistake on the oven temperature. A thin crust pizza in a 500 degree oven for 25- 30 min yields a black crust. We typically cook pizzas for 10 min at this temperature … not enough time to cook brined potatoes…

  92. Gail

    I tried this three times, and could not get the pizza crust right, using Leahy’s recipe. It was too dry, and did not rise anywhere near double even with letting it sit for three hours. I think I’ll try your pizza dough version next time.

  93. Marie

    Is this recipe for one pizza? I noticed the dough is cut in half but the recipe implies all the potatoes should be used on one pizza using half the dough? How many people does this serve? Looking forward to trying it this weekend!

  94. Mary Ann

    When I saw this flavor combo on the menu at California Pizza Kitchen years ago, it didn’t appeal to me but being the illogical person that I am, I decided to try it anyway. It became one of my favorite pizzas. The only thing I would add that CPK did is a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the top before baking. I’m recovering from surgery so can’t try this right now. :-(

  95. miriamemma

    25 to 30 minutes? My pizza is usually done in 12 minutes–this would definitely burn it! Do the potatoes really need that long to cook if sliced very thinly? Wouldn’t they burn too?

    1. deb

      It works! I wouldn’t lie to you. There are a lot of potatoes but — this is key — as written, you need to get them all the way to the edge of the pizza, no exposed crust.

  96. Holly

    I am always on the look out for recipes for my vegan coeliac friend, and so I made this potato topping but put it on a socca base in my cast iron skillet. Tasted great, thank you!

  97. Fighting Amish

    I love potato pizza and have tried numerous times to recreate since my time on Rome. I followed this recipe and the toppings are perfect BUT after 30 minutes my toppings started to brown slightly and the crust was black! How can I adjust! I covered the edges as directed but it wasn’t the edges that burnt. It was the entire bottom. Suggestions?

  98. Oh dear friend … (I can call you that, right? I mean, you practically live in my kitchen. 95% of the recipes I make are yours, so to me, you are a dear, dear friend) …

    I want to make frozen pizzas for quick dinners. Not your average frozen pepperoni pizza though – I’m thinking this potato pizza. The corn, bacon, arugula pizza (okay, that one might not work because of the arugula). The winter squash flatbread. The summer squash pizza. The leek chard corn pizza. I mean, basically any pizza you’ve ever published … I want to turn it into a frozen pizza. Please tell me there’s a way to do it?!

  99. Tom

    The baked potato pizza is adorable … who else sees all the little faces in the cooked potatoes? This is contention for my annual Winter Solstice fete. Thank you for it!

  100. Megan

    Mine burned to an inedible crisp. I was thinking 25 min at 500 sounded like a lot… anyone else? Any tips? I was so bummed.

    1. Todd

      I tried this recipe last night and was skeptical of the high temp for so long. I set my oven to 425 and checked it at 20 minutes. I use the Fleischmann instant pizza yeast and instructions btw. The crust was done but not super crispy. The potatoes were barely browned and slightly undercooked. I cranked the oven up to 500 for a blast of heat for about 10 minutes and i think that helped cook everything through without burning. Broiling the top might also work too but that might also burn the rosemary if you put in on last (I mixed mine in with the potatoes and onions.

  101. emma

    Literally the first time i’ve commented on a recipe ever to say this was incredible! Was a bit concerned making it as the instructions are a bit vaguer than im used to but omg. incredible. thanks deb, truly, i loved this so much and cannot wait to make again. (also, notes from a terrible shopper, bought thyme instead of rosemary and it was still sick)

  102. Suzanne

    I just made the dough and I don’t think the water to flour ratio is correct. It seemed really dry. I’m not sure if ratio of water to flour changes when you measure with grams vs with cups but the ratio using grams is 0.6 whereas the ratio using cups is 0.3? Sad I wasted flour on this while there is a shortage :(

    1. Trish

      Hey Suzanne, I had the same trouble girlfriend! First batch was a rock and did not rise – at all. I am not sure exactly what the grams to cups ration is that you mention, but if you measure the water in cups (by volume) then add 2-3 Tbsp water it comes out much better. I also added 1.25 Tbsp olive oil, maybe because I really didn’t want a repeat failure. The difference was startling, so much more moist and pliable immediately. Give it another go, and I think don’t be afraid to add water and knead a little longer than directed if you feel that it’s dry. There is some extra forgiveness because it’s a thin crust.

  103. Trish

    Yum!!! This recipe is so good. I made this twice in the past week, because I liked it, and because I had an excess of potatoes.

    To previous questions about the crust burning, the first time I made this I used quite a bit of oil to grease the pan, the crust got much toastier than the second time – on the BOTTOM – the second time I had more crust left out on the edges (potatoes not layered out to the edge) and this part got very crisp, almost black in a couple spots. So those are my guesses as to what to tweak. The temp worked fine for me, but I’m guessing at altitudes above sea level the lower temp may be necessary.

    After reading the review comments, I decided to leave the cheese off since Deb insists the flavor is special. She doesn’t lie! It was so very good just as it is. Yet there is lots of room to experiment if you switch it up for sweet potatoes, adding a little sauce, or what-have-you. This to me is a simple classic, and a launch pad for creativity.

    I had trouble with the dough in this recipe like others. It needs a few extra tablespoons of water, maybe unless you’re in 100% humidity. I ended up adding 2-3 Tbsp water or so, also decided to put in 1.25 Tbsp olive oil and doubled the salt and sugar to my preference. With the right amount of water it forms into a dough ball quickly and easily, but even if it’s a tad bit dry and kind of shows folds and creases while you mix it, it’s fine – it comes together as it rises. If it’s hard as a rock – you need more water friend. My dough did not rise when I made it as directed the first time. I also kneaded a little longer than directed, but not very much. I am super appreciative of the weighted measurements.

    I will be making this recipe for years to come I already know it. Thanks yet again Deb!

  104. Nicole

    Just tried this with sweet potato but sadly mine turned out a bit on the dry side. I think it just needed something between the potato and the dough… Maybe the sweet potato version could benefit from some blue cheese crumbled under the potato and lots of carmelised onion (instead of onion mixed in)… to be tested!

    1. Todd

      I made with yellow potato and mine was also really dry. I used 2T olive oil for the pan and 3 T for the potatoes because i assumed the 4-5 T of oil in the ingredients was divided. Probably need 4-5 T for the potatoes alone.

  105. Pauline Tucciarello

    How to keep potatoes from sliding off the pizza when it is cut in slices? I have made this pizza and this is my dilemma.

  106. Lisa

    Made this for Sunday dinner and it was delicious! Used the dough recipe listed and weighed the ingredients, and it turned out amazing. It double in size in less than two hours. I used red potatoes and onions because that was what I had, but other than that and slicing the onions in half moons, I followed the recipe to a tee. Oh, and I used parchment paper. The pizza was cooked and slightly charred on the edges in around twenty minutes, so it’s best to keep an eye on it.

    I look forward to trying variations of the recipe, using the beets, carrots, and purple potatoes I got in my CSA. I think it wound be good to use garlic infused olive oil, or perhaps, top it with arugula at the end and swap out the rosemary for a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or something like that.

  107. Walter B

    Thanks for the story of this pizza! I just made it out of Lahey’s book, and it was really wonderful. And I will appreciate more now that I have the background in this article. I cannot wait to make it for friends!

  108. Akemi

    I made this tonight, and wished I had checked my oven before the 25 minutes I set it to. I have a fan oven so I set it to 250C, not the 260C that is the equivalent of 500F…but after 25 minutes the whole thing was quite burnt and cracker-like. I will try again soon, but set the oven for only 15 minutes. Other than that…I put olives on one quarter (basil pesto under another quarter, sun-dried tomato paste under another quarter) and that was really good. The olives won!

  109. Renee

    I made this last night with a Trader Joe’s fresh (in a bag, from refrigerator) pizza dough. It was good but maybe there wasn’t as much dough as Deb’s recipe? It was a lot of potatoes for the amount of dough…so I wasn’t able to spread the potatoes flat enough and it took them longer to cook and some of them weren’t as cooked as they should have been.

    If I was going to do it again with the Trader Joe’s dough, I’d probably halve the potatoes from the original – which was plenty for our family of four.

  110. Penny

    Up to now I have used Nigel Slater’s recipe for potato pizza. It’s superb but because it contains t’allégions, it’s not vegan. I’ll try this as soon as the supply chain bottleneck clears enough to deliver the oven ordered 12weeks ago.

  111. Tea

    Wow. This has the power. Not just to fill the house with heavenly odors as it bakes, but the flavors and textures will solve world peace. Huzzah! I added about 2 extra Tbsp of water to the dough to make it cohesive. I used Russets because that is what I had. Deb, may your kitchen sorcery live forever.

  112. vance dovenbarger

    I am making this pizza today which looks fantastic! When I made the dough a few minutes ago I had to add extra water as 150 grams of water was not enough to even get the dough to come together let alone make it look like it was going to be a “soft almost goopy dough”. I added another 30 grams and at that point the dough came together and seemed more correctly hydrated. If using 250 grams four and 150 grams water that is only 60% hydration which is very low. Is the 150 grams a misprint or does the dough work out as written? Thanks for any responses and comments.

  113. Todd

    Made this last night and the effort did not translate into satisfactory results. It was underseasoned and dry. Tasted very one-note. I used a different dough recipe. I did not follow the baking instructions as i felt it would burn the crust. IMO the recipe photos show a burnt crust so I trusted my instincts knowing my oven which mean i used a lower heat to start and a blast of heat at 500 to finish browning.

  114. Eliza

    This was really good but not amazing good. We had it with our Mother’s Day brunch and one of the last potatoes from last year’s harvest. I think I would definitely make it again as a vegan alternative to pizza if I had a vegan guest.

  115. MARGARET GEBAUER

    This recipe is a dream! I’ve made it several times and it’s great right out of the oven or cold right from the fridge. Easy to add to it, too. I usually put lardons on half of it and parmesan on the base before putting the potatoes and onions down.

    My one caution! I bought little potatoes for this the last time I made it and got lazy. I used a mandoline, but didn’t peel them. I thought it would be fine – but it imparted an almost metallic taste to the potatoes. We still ate it up, of course! But don’t skip the peeling!

  116. paulette b schneider

    my all-time favorite pizza!! especially when paired with a super thin crust.
    I tweak the toppings to include some grated lemon zest and black olives. With a chilled glass of Rose, it’s perfection.