My kids and I love pizza every month of the year, as do yours, I’m sure. But I am calling January “pizza month” because after all the cooking and entertaining last month, it’s time to simplify, simplify. And what’s easier than pizza? Not much. And what tastes better?
Caramelized Onion, Potato and Fontina Pizza
Pizza without tomatoes and parmesan cheese may sound odd to the uninitiated, but get yourself initiated as soon as you can. This just might be my very favorite pizza in the world! I am increasingly impressed by storebought pizza dough, but making your own still beats it, hands down. And because the dough is simple to mix and can be left in the refrigerator for hours — overnight or all day long — it’s pretty easy to make this a 100 percent homemade pizza.
Serves 8
1 pound pizza dough, homemade (recipe follows) or storebought
¼ cup olive oil
2 medium onions (about 1 pound), thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 ounces), unpeeled and very thinly sliced
6 ounces grated Fontina cheese
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar, optional
About 3 cups (3 good handfuls) arugula
- If using homemade pizza dough, punch the dough down with a clenched fish to expel the air. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- If using storebought dough, let it come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
- Spray a 14-inch metal pizza pan with flavorless vegetable spray. Gently holding the dough in both hands, stretch it evenly over the pan to fit. Pizza is not fine baking; the crust can look a little rough and rustic.
- Pour the olive oil into a medium pan and heat over medium-high heat. When hot, cook the onions for 10 to 12 minutes or until they soften and begin to color. Remove from the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly. Spread the onions evenly over the pizza crust.
- Cover the onions with a layer of potatoes, letting them touch but not overlap. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cheese over the entire pizza.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once or until lightly golden brown and bubbly.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and drizzle it with the vinegar, if desired. Top with the arugula and serve immediately.
Homemade Pizza Dough
Makes about 1 pound
2/3 cup warm water
¾ teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
¾ teaspoon salt
½ pound bread flour (almost 2 cups)
- In a medium bowl, stir together the water, sugar, and yeast and set aside for 5 to 6 minutes or until it bubbles and starts to foam.
- Stir in the olive oil and salt. Add the flour a little at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture turns into dough and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Depending on the humidity of the day and your kitchen, you might need a little less or a little more than 2 cups of flour.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 to 4 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Generously rub the inside of a medium-sized bowl with the oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn it against the sides and bottom of the bowl until it’s nicely coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The dough will take about 10 hours or overnight to rise in the refrigerator. When it’s finished rising, it will be almost doubled.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator at least 60 and up to 90 minutes before making pizza.