potato, bacon and red onion crispy pizza

I love this pizza. It's a little bit unusual but then most of the best things in life are. I like that is doesn't have the classic tomato base but it still has lots of great flavour. You could by all means make a deep pan version of this pizza but I feel the crispiness of a thin base is what's needed here.
These quantities give you enough for two 25cm thin based pizzas. I started with raw potatoes for this one but you could just as easily use up some left over roast potatoes with this pizza. I used my trusty cast iron skillet as the cooking pan for the pizza. It is the perfect size for a single serve pizza.


Ingredients
1/4 basic pizza dough (approx 300-400g)
1 small potato peeled and very finely sliced (a couple of millimeters is best)
50g finely diced smoked prosciutto or bacon
1 small red onion finely sliced
couple of tsps pesto (optional)
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 ball of mozzarella
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Place your sliced potatoes in a bowl and pour over some freshly boiled water from the kettle. The aim is to scald them slightly so that they are not completely raw before going on the pizza. Leave for around 10-15 minutes then carefully drain off the water and remove the excess water from the potatoes with absorbent kitchen paper. Set to one side until ready.
2. Place a small frying pan over a gentle heat and crisp up your bacon/prosciutto pieces. Don't go too far as they will continue to cook in the oven later.
3. Preheat your oven so that it is pretty much as hot as it will go. I generally go for 220C. Put your baking sheet/stone/skillet in the oven and leave to heat up.
4. Once the oven has reached full heat, roll out your dough to the size of your cooking pan. 
5. Place the dough in your pan taking care not to touch it as the pan will be super hot.
6. Put half the potatoes on each base in a thin layer. You want a single layer of potato across the whole base. Scatter over the bacon, rosemary and onion slices then dollop on a little pesto if you're using it. Finally add the mozzarella and a little salt and pepper. 
7. Bake in the oven for around 13 minutes or until the pizza is a nice golden brown.

deep pan margherita pizza

This is my version of a very simple and straight forward pizza. Perfect for 'meat-free Mondays' or for when you've got some left over bread dough to use up. By all means feel free to add what ever toppings you want. I find the best pizzas are often the most simple but go with what your heart desires. I have even made an awesome pizza using some left over dr pepper shredded pork as the base. It truly rocked. You can use a baking sheet, pizza stone or cast iron skillet. The secret to having an evenly cooked pizza with a crispy bottom is to make sure the oven and sheet/stone/skillet is preheated completely. I use a cast iron skillet that's approximately 25cm diameter as I don't yet have a pizza stone.


These quantities make one approximately 25cm diameter pizza.

Ingredients
1/4 quantity of basic pizza dough (approx 300-400g)
400g tinned chopped tomatoes drained of excess liquid
2-3 tbsps pesto (homemade is best)
1 ball of mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven so that it is pretty much as hot as it will go. I generally go for 220C. Put your baking sheet/stone/skillet in the oven and leave to heat up.
2. Once the oven has reached full heat, roll out your dough to the size of your cooking pan. 
3. Place the dough in your pan taking care not to touch it as the pan will be super hot.
4. Spread the pesto over the base followed by the chopped tomatoes then tear the mozzarella with your hands and scatter over the top. Season with salt and pepper to taste then bake in the oven for around 13 minutes or until golden brown on top.

\