Potato Taleggio Pizza Recipes

PUTTANESCA PIZZA WITH TALEGGIO AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Preheat a pizza stone in a 500 degree F oven. Dust the top of a pizza peel with semolina flour, and lay the pizza dough on top.
• Combine the olives, capers, tomatoes, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Season with salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Thinly spread the puttanesca sauce over the pizza dough and top with the taleggio.
• Place the pizza on the pizza stone or a sheet tray and bake until the crust is brown and crispy and the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Towards the end of the cooking time, lightly dress the arugula with olive oil and a pinch salt. Top the finished pizza immediately with the arugula, cut into pieces and serve hot.
• Pour the warm water into a small bowl (if the water is too hot the yeast will die and if the water is too cold the yeast will not activate). Stir in the sugar and dry yeast to combine and let sit 15 minutes. The top of the water will bubble and smell very yeasty, this is what you want.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and yeast water. Gradually stir the flour into the liquid, using a fork. Once most of the flour has been incorporated, turn the dough out onto a smooth, clean work surface dusted with bench flour. Use your hands to knead the dough to a smooth consistency.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Portion the dough and stretch to the desired size.

POTATO & TALEGGIO PIZZA

Steps:

• Make up the dough following the pack instructions. Roll out thinly to make a rectangle about 30 x 40cm, then transfer to a well oiled baking sheet. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 20 mins. Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
• Slice the potatoes thinly and boil in salted water, or steam, until just tender, about 3-4 mins, then drain well and pat dry. Shred the spring onions. Thinly slice the cheese.
• Spread the potatoes over the pizza dough and drizzle with a little olive oil. Scatter over the onions, cheese and lardons. Bake for 15-20 mins, until the topping is crisp and golden. Cut into squares to serve.

TRUFFLED POTATO PIZZA WITH RICOTTA AND TALEGGIO

Steps:

• Because the potatoes need to soak, I suggest prepping your potatoes while your dough is still rising to expedite your pizza assembly later Scrub the potatoes with a produce brush under cold water to get rid of any dirt and debris clinging to the skin. I prefer to use a waxy Yukon Gold potato for this recipe, so there is no need to peel the skin from this variety, they just need a good scrub.
• Slice the potatoes very thinly. Though you can probably *technically* do this with a sharp knife and a *very* patient hand, I prefer to use a mandoline like this one, set to its lowest thickness setting for easy paper-thin potato slices of equal thickness. They should be so thin that they are semi-sheer and slightly flexible.
• Soak the sliced potatoes in cold water for a minimum of 15-minutes -- though 30-minutes or more is best. Transfer the sliced potatoes to a large bowl and cover with cold water. This will help rinse off any excess starch and help the potato crisp up once baked.
• Once your pizza dough has risen, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F / 260 degrees C and set a baker's half sheet to the side.
• Shape your dough. If you prefer a classic pie-shape with a thicker crust compared to the center of your dough, I suggest hand-stretching your dough. If you prefer your pizza to be an even thickness, I suggest rolling your dough out with a rolling pin. If you are hand-stretching your dough: I like to rub a small amount of olive oil into my hands first; this allows me to shape the dough easier without it ripping accidentally from friction.
• Press the dough down with the palm of your hand into a disk shape, then use your fingertips to gently press down on the dough disk, further flattening it.
• To further extend the dough, I prefer to press one palm on top of one side of the dough and with the other hand lift the alternative side of the dough and gently work the dough outward, pulling very gently with the tips of my oiled fingers (like a very discrete "come hither" motion) to slowly stretch the dough out. Rotate slightly and repeat until the dough is shaped and stretched to your liking. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again. Transfer your stretched dough to a sheet of parchment paper.
• If you are using a rolling pin: I prefer to place my dough between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking to my rolling pin, but if you prefer you can also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough ball as well as wiping some over your rolling pin by hand to prevent sticking instead. Once the dough has been rolled to your preferred size and shape, peel the top layer of parchment paper off (if using). The bottom layer that the dough is resting on can be utilized for your baking sheet. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again.
• Transfer your shaped dough to the reserved baking sheet.
• In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, white truffle oil, Kohser salt, and cracked black pepper. Spread over the top of the pizza dough and using the back of a spoon spread the mixture out evenly over the dough.
• Top the ricotta mixture with the sliced Taleggio cheese, arranging it so that it is evenly dispersed across the pie with roughly equivalent space in between.
• Drain the water from your soaking potatoes. Rinse the potatoes to remove any clinging starchy water, drain them, and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. I find that the easiest way to do this is to lightly toss the potatoes by hand as you pat them with the towel to remove as much of the liquid as possible without being precious about drying each one individually. A wet potato will just steam rather than crisp so the drier the potatoes the better.
• Top the pizza with the potato slices, slightly overlapping each one to fully cover the pizza. At this point, many of the soaked and dried potato slices will have "popped" and rounded so they do not lie flat. Just do your best to cover the pizza and don't worry about making them lie perfectly flat. Sprinkle the potatoes with Maldon salt flakes.
• Bake for 18-24 minutes or until the crust has reached your preferred level of crispness and the potatoes are starting to char slightly at the edges. I find that pizzas that have a thinner topping layer take less time to bake and heavier-topped pizzas generally take a bit longer to bake so watch your pizza closely after the 18-minute mark and adjust as desired.
• Once removed from the oven top the pizza with the chives, tarragon, and parsley, slice, and serve warm.

POTATO-FENNEL PIZZA WITH TALEGGIO

Steps:

• Place a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. Make the potatoes: Combine the potatoes, garlic, sliced fennel and fennel fronds in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium; cook until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Add the olive oil and mash until almost smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; set aside.
• Assemble the pizza: Keep the prebaked crust on the baking sheet. Scatter the taleggio and potato mixture over the crust, spreading the potato mixture slightly. Scatter the sliced fennel on top, sprinkle with the parmesan and drizzle with the olive oil. Transfer the baking sheet to the hot pizza stone and bake until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper.
• Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups warm water (about 105 degrees F) and 2 tablespoons olive oil with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough rises slightly, about 1 hour.
• Using lightly floured hands, transfer the dough to a generously floured surface and knead several times until it just starts becoming smooth and elastic, about 1 minute (do not over-knead). Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on the lower oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F.
• Brush two rimmed 13-by-18-inch baking sheets (not nonstick) with 3 tablespoons olive oil each. Place one piece of dough on each baking sheet. Prepare the pizzas one at a time: Cover the dough with plastic wrap, then press firmly with your hands to fill the baking.
• Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the baking sheet to the hot pizza stone. Bake until the crust starts browning, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully loosen the crust from the pan using a spatula. Top and bake or let cool, lightly wrap in plastic and set aside up to 8 hours.

FIG AND TALEGGIO PIZZA

Steps:

• *30-60 minutes before ready to bake the pizzas, place a baking stone on a rack in the lowest level of the oven; turn on oven to the maximum temperature-450° to 500°.
• Place 1 ball of pizza dough on a floured surface; holding your hands flat, pat the ball out evenly with your fingers, lifting it and turning it over several times, until it reaches a 12-inch circle (do not knead or handle the dough any more than you need to); if the dough seems sticky, dust it lightly with flour.
• Dust a pizza peel with flour; carefully transfer the circle of dough to the peel, reshaping it if needed.
• Shake the peel once or twice to make sure the dough does not stick; if it does, lift the dough and sprinkle the peel with more flour.
• Brush the dough with some of the oil; spread with half the ricotta, leaving a ½ inch border.
• Sprinkle with half the Taleggio and sage; arrange half the fig slices on top; sprinkle with half the Parmigiano and drizzle with 1 tablespoon honey.
• To slide the pizza onto the prepared baking stone, line up the edge of the peel with the back edge of the stone, then tilt the peel, jerking it gently to start the pizza moving.
• Once the edge of the pizza touches the stone, carefully pull back on the peel until the pizza is completely off.
• After the pizza is on the stone, do not try to move it until it firms up in 2-3 minutes.
• Bake the pizza 6-7 minutes or until the crust is browned.
• Slice and serve immediately.
• Make a second pizza with the remaining ingredients.

TRUFFLED TALEGGIO OR FONTINA AND MUSHROOM PIZZA

Steps:

• Put a large heavy baking sheet (17 by 14 inches) on lowest rack of oven, then preheat oven to 500°F
• Stretch out dough on a lightly floured surface, pulling on corners to form a roughly 16- by 13-inch rectangle (Thin crust is the key.). Transfer to a tray lined with parchment paper. Lightly prick dough all over with a fork.
• Slide dough (still on parchment) onto hot baking sheet. Bake until top is puffed and pale golden in patches, 6 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven; prick any large bubbles with a fork and flatten. Scatter mushrooms evenly over crust, then season with salt and pepper and lay cheese on top.
• Bake pizza until edge of crust is deep golden and cheese is bubbling and golden in patches, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with truffle oil and season with pepper. Serve immediately.