Authentic Italian Potato Pizza (Pizza con Patate) with Yellow Idaho® Potatoes

Authentic Italian Potato Pizza is one of the most surprisingly delicious pizzas I’ve ever tasted. Have you ever had potato pizza? If not, don’t wait any longer!

I know what you’re thinking…carbs on carbs, right? Well, have Italians ever been wrong when it comes to food?

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Strange pizza topping?

I’m going to ask you to trust me on this one, because I had the same trepidation the first time I ever saw a potato pizza in Italy. It looked so “blah” and boring, that I was not tempted in the slightest. This is despite the fact that I’m a huge potato fan. I was much more interested in the traditional tomato topped pizzas, but little did I know that I was really missing out on one of Italy’s best creations.

Disclosure: I was compensated by The Idaho Potato Commission for this post, and as always, all opinions are solely my own.

I don’t actually recall when I first tried potato pizza, but I know it was when I was in Rome, probably when I was 19 or 20 years old. It was truly eye-opening. No longer could I simply judge how something would taste, simply because I knew how the different ingredients tasted separately!

Potato pizza has such fabulous flavor. I am not exaggerating when I tell you you will most likely be shocked at how good it tastes. As always, the quality of ingredients is key. You won’t get this delicious flavor by using the wrong potatoes or inexpensive olive oil. As I always say, you really have to use top quality ingredients, more so when there are a minimal of ingredients, such as in this pizza.

I use top quality extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and yellow (or gold) Idaho® Potatoes, which is really the kind of waxy potato that is necessary for this pizza to turn out correctly. Use the best quality ingredients and you’ll end up with a fabulous tasting pizza.

Potato Pizza for Breakfast

Why not make potato pizza for breakfast? Just serve a fried egg on top of a slice, or even alongside a slice for a nice change from cereal and pancakes! 

Most Italian pizzas are not unhealthy!

Also, please remember that this type of pizza is actually a very healthy and nutritious pizza~

-no sugar -no hydrogenated oils -only healthy fat (extra virgin olive oil)  -no processed, chemical and  
      preservative filled dough -dairy and cholesterol free (if not using cheese) -all the health benefits of
      potatoes  -vegetarian -vegan (if not using cheese) -potatoes are baked, not fried

And homemade pizza with tomato sauce isn’t unhealthy, either!

In fact, when you make pizza the real Italian way, many things will change. For example, did you know that you should never use tomato paste or cook your pizza sauce! Find out how to make proper pizza sauce here.

Authentic Italian Potato Pizza (Pizza con Patate)
with Yellow Idaho® Potatoes

recipe by Christina Conte           Full printable recipe below

Potato pizzas are traditionally make in rectangular pans, but you can use any shape you like. Oil your pan slightly with about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Prepare the dough

Shape the dough into the shape of your pan, then place the dough onto it. Drizzle about a tablespoon or more of extra virgin olive oil and rub it over the surface evenly. Leave in a draft-free place for a few minutes while you prepare the potatoes.

Preheat the oven at this point, to 500˚F (260˚C) or the hottest your oven can be set. Do not use convection.

Prepare the potatoes

Using a mandoline slicer or food processor, slice the washed and dried yellow Idaho© potatoes (do not peel) very thinly and place in a bowl. I love my OXO mandoline slicer.

Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat each slice (2-3 tbsp), then sprinkle lightly with the salt. Using your hands, mix the potatoes so they are evenly coated with oil and salt.

Optional: sometimes, mozzarella cheese is added at this point, but if you do, do so sparingly. I didn’t add cheese.

Top the dough with the potatoes

Start layering the potato slices over the pizza dough in the pan, overlapping the slices slightly until all the dough is covered. Unlike a traditional tomato pizza, you don’t need to leave an edge. I did so for the sake of the photos, or else the pizza would just look like slices of potatoes, but I’d recommend going all the way to the edge and will explain why, below).

Drizzle with another 1 tsp or so, extra virgin olive oil. Spread carefully and evenly over the potatoes with your fingertips or a brush.

Optional: sprinkle the some fresh rosemary, if desired (I added rosemary to one half of my pizza).

Bake the potato pizza

Place pizza on the floor of the oven, or if you aren’t able to use the bottom, put it on the lowest rack, for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, move the pizza onto the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for another 8 to 11 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to brown.

If desired, reset the oven to broil (grill) and place the pizza on the top rack to make the potatoes a little more brown and crispy. This is the reason it’s best to place the potatoes all the way to the edge of the dough and not leave any exposed crust.

If you do this, you don’t have to worry about the crust burning while you crisp the potatoes.

Remove the potato pizza from the oven and cut into slices; serve hot, warm or cold. This pizza reheats really well, just place it back on a tray into a 400˚F (205˚C) oven for about 4 minutes.

This pizza is so delicious, you won’t even want to think about how you’ve been missing out all these years!

Remember I asked if Italians have ever gotten the food wrong? Well, if the people who are responsible for creating all of this, also invented potato pizza, need I say anything more?

Buon appetito!

Please don’t let the length of the instructions intimidate you because half of the text is my tips, recommendations and/or optional steps.

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Authentic Italian Potato Pizza (Pizza con Patate) with Yellow Idaho® Potatoes

Yield: 1 large pizza

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 14 minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes

Thinly sliced potato is baked onto light, pizza dough to create an unimaginably good and unique pizza which is very popular in Italy.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough recipe (printable recipe card below)
• 4 to 5 yellow Idaho® potatoes
• 4 to 5 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp Kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
• a sprig of fresh rosemary (optional)
• 6 to 8 oz of fresh mozzarella (optional)

Instructions

1. Oil your pan slightly, with about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Shape the dough into the shape of your pan, then place the dough onto it, drizzle about a tablespoon or more, extra virgin olive oil and rub it over the surface evenly, then set in a draft-free place for a few minutes while you prepare the potatoes.
3. Preheat the oven at this point, to 500˚F (260˚C) or the hottest your oven can be set. Do not use convection.
4. Using a mandoline slicer or food processor, slice the washed and dried yellow Idaho© potatoes (do not peel) very thinly and place in a bowl.
5. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat each slice (2-3 tbsp), then sprinkle lightly with the salt. Using your hands, mix the potatoes so they are evenly coated with oil and salt.
6. Optional: sometimes, mozzarella cheese is added at this point, but if you do, do so sparingly (I didn’t add cheese).
7. Start layering the potato slices over the pizza dough in the pan, overlapping the slices slightly until all the dough is covered (unlike a traditional tomato pizza, you don’t need to leave an edge of dough; I did so for the sake of the photos, or else the pizza would just look like slices of potatoes, but I’d recommend going all the way to the edge and will explain why, below).
8. Drizzle with another 1 tsp or so, extra virgin olive oil and spread carefully and evenly over the potatoes, with your hand or a brush.
9. Optional: sprinkle the some fresh rosemary, if desired (I did add rosemary to one half of my pizza).
10. Place pizza on the floor of the oven, or if you aren’t able to use the bottom, put it on the lowest rack, for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, replace the pizza onto the middle of the oven for another 8 to 11 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to brown. If desired, reset the oven to broil (grill) and place the pizza on the top rack to make the potatoes a little more brown and crispy (this is why it’s best to place the potatoes all the way to the edge of the dough, and not leave any exposed crust, so that you don’t have to worry about the crust burning while you crisp the potatoes).
11. Remove from the oven and cut into slices and serve hot, warm or cold.
12. This pizza reheats really well, just place it back on a tray into a 400˚F (205˚C) oven for about 4 minutes.

Notes

• Potato pizzas are traditionally make in rectangular pans, but you can use any shape you like.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 450Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 311mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 37g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

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My Mother's Favorite Pizza (No Knead Pizza Dough Recipe)

Yield: 2 large pizzas

Prep Time: 14 hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 14 hours 10 minutes

One of the easiest and best tasting pizzas you can make.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups (18 oz) all-purpose flour (to make it even better use 00 flour)
• 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
• 2 tsp Diamond Kosher or sea salt
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsps quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) warm water (Chef John's advice: if possible, use bottled water as chlorinated water can retard the yeast growth)

Tomato Sauce or Topping for Pizza

• about 12 oz of DOP tomatoes, pureed (or any good quality Italian tomatoes or puree)
• one or two diced, fresh, roma tomatoes
• 2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp Diamond Kosher salt or sea salt, to taste
• 2 large cloves of fresh garlic, minced (do not use garlic in a jar)
• fresh basil, finely chopped (1 or 2 leaves)
• 1/2 tsp of good quality dried oregano

Instructions

For the dough.

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Make a well and pour in the water and oil. Stir just until everything is thoroughly mixed into a slightly sticky dough. Cover with cling wrap and let rise for approximately 18 hours, or until doubled in size.

For the topping and assembly.

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Taste for saltiness, adding more if necessary. If you accidentally add too much salt, just add more tomatoes. (Use an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes.)
2. Prepare two 12x16 (or smaller, if you like a thicker crust) baking trays by drizzling with some extra virgin olive oil, avoiding the edges.\
3. When the dough is ready, knock it down with a spatula, then place it onto a well floured surface and knead for a minute and divide into two equal pieces.
4. Shape the dough into 12 x 16 rectangles and place on each tray. Drizzle with some more olive oil, and rub all over the dough, again, avoiding the edges.
5. Let rise for about 10 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
6. Heat the oven to it's hottest setting, minimum of 500ºF (260ºC) then evenly spread the tomato topping on the dough.
7. When the oven is ready, place one pizza on the very bottom of the oven for 4 or 5 minutes. Then move to the center of the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes. (These cooking times will vary depending on your oven and oven temperature.) Just lift the pizza with a fork to peek underneath and see if the bottom is brown. The bottom should look like this when it is ready: The pizza crust should be light brown on top too-I left this one a little pale as I was going to reheat it in the oven later.
8. Remove the pizza from the oven, and place it on a surface on which to cut it. Cut the pizza into larger pieces which can be folded in half and eaten this way

Notes

Plan to make the dough the night before.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 2 slices
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 406Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1176mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

I was sponsored by The Idaho® Potato Commission to create this recipe, however, I only promote items I use and truly believe in.

Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.