This pizza recipe came from a true love for carbohydrates, truffles, and cream. It works because it is constructed of simple ingredients that all excel individually, and when brought together create a gentle hum in the mouth of natural contentment. It is not over-complicated, not too powerful, but gives beautiful creamy mouthfuls of crisp bread, soft potato, smoky salty cheese, sweetness of red onion, and the umami element of the truffle. Every ingredient has purpose, and works in conjunction with its partners.
Red onion, potato and truffle pesto pizza
Red onion, potato and truffle pesto pizza with smoked cheese
Ingredients
Dough:
- 225g strong bread flour
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ of a 7g sachet of yeast
- 160ml lukewarm water
Topping:
- Half a standard 300ml pot of sour cream
- 2 large tablespoons of summer truffle pesto (available in many larger supermarkets)
- 1 clove of garlic
- Half a medium sized potato sliced in to thin ovals
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 30g smoked cheddar
- A sprinkling of grated parmesan
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Pour the flour, salt, sugar, oil and yeast in to a large mixing bowl. Pour the lukewarm water on last. Make sure the water is not too warm as it will kill the yeast. You want it to just be warm so as to activate it.
- Get your hands dirty and mix all the ingredients together, kneading gently to create a springy dough. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for at least 30 mins.
- Preheat the oven to 240 degrees.
- Whilst you wait for the dough to rise, prepare the toppings. Thinly slice the potato and bring a pan of water to the boil. Simmer the potatoes for around 5 mins, until just cooked through. Drain and lightly coat with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, truffle pesto and crushed garlic together with plenty of salt and pepper.
- When the dough is ready (it should have risen somewhat, but ideally if you have time it should double in size), roll out on to a floured surface to form a round, thin pizza base. Coat your baking tray in olive oil well to prevent sticking, before placing the base onto it.
- Bake the pizza base in the oven for a around 6-7 minutes and then remove from oven again. This pre-bake will ensure a crispier finish to the pizza.
- At this point, the toppings should be added. Spread the sour cream mixture over the base, then lay the sliced potatoes over the top. Scatter the red onion all over this along with the smoked cheese cut into squares.
- Finally grate a fine layer of Parmesan over the top.
- Place the pizza back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is oozy and golden.
- Remove from the oven, cut into slices, and enjoy! Finish with a final grind of black pepper if desired.
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