Perfect for a dinner with friends or a family lunch, potato pizza is one of the quintessential recipes of Apulian cuisine, made of intense and virtuous flavors. As often is the case, it’s a humble but extremely tasty dish that contains some of the delicacies that this territory offers, such as extra virgin olive oil and tomatoes.
The most suitable potatoes for preparing pizza
The potato is the best known and most consumed tuber in the world: do you know that there are about 5 thousand varieties scattered all over? In Italy, there is a wealth of variety distinguished by white and yellow potatoes. The former is among the more floury types, suitable for making mashed potatoes and gnocchi because they contain not much water and therefore less moist. Yellow potatoes, on the other hand, are waxy, hard, and compact, ideal for making classic French fries or baked potatoes. For the potato pizza, the white and floury ones are perfect.
The tastiest tomatoes for potato pizza
When choosing tomatoes it would be better to opt for the datterino tomato, substantial and full of flavor, or if you can’t find them even cherry tomatoes which give a sweeter taste. You can blanch them for a few minutes in order to eliminate the skin (if you don't like it) or leave them intact and cook them in a pan with a little oil. With these two types of tomato you don’t need to add salt to the sauce, it will already be tasty.
Traditional Potato Pizza recipe
To make the potato pizza, first, you have to boil 2 lb of potatoes, without peeling them. Once cooked, remove the skin, and mash them. Add two tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt to the mashed potatoes. In a frying pan sauté sliced onion in a little oil and when golden brown add 1 lb of fresh tomatoes cut into small pieces and leave to cook for about 20 minutes.
Oil a baking tray, place half of the mashed potatoes on the bottom spreading it out nicely with a spoon. Pour over the tomato sauce, a few anchovy fillets, green olives, and unsalted capers. Spread the remaining part of the mashed potatoes on top and brush with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cook in a hot oven (400°) for about 25 minutes and then serve.