My goal with this potato leek pizza was to capture all the rich deliciousness of potato leek soup, but to transform it into a satisfying and delicious pizza instead. (Gustavo doesn’t like soup… what can I say.) And while I won’t claim this is as faithful an interpretation of “potato leek soup pizza” as possible, it definitely captures the richness and spirit of the soup.
Notes on This Potato Leek Pizza Recipe:
Potatoes: the key to making this (and any other potato pizza) great is to cook the potatoes first. It’s impossible to emphasize this enough. I’ve had the misfortune of eating at a couple restaurants that put raw potato slices onto their pizzas, and it is not an enjoyable experience. Trust me; make the potatoes so tasty that you want to eat them up before they even go on the pizza, and the result will be incredible.
The Process:
Prepare. This pizza is baked at a lower temperature than usual. In most cases, I recommend baking at the highest temperature your home oven will go, usually 550 degrees Fahrenheit. But for this one, that would be too hot. The lower temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit allows the eggs to cook perfectly, with the whites setting firmly while the yolk remains runny.
Roast the potato. As I mentioned above, this step is crucial in enjoying a delicious finished product. If you skip this step and just add the potato slices raw, the final pizza won’t be anywhere near as good, because they don’t have enough time to bake while they’re on the pizza.
Cook the leek. This step is pretty straightforward. The goal here is to get the leeks nice and tender. If you like heat, I recommend adding chili flakes to the leeks during this step. It lets the heat incorporate into the overall flavor more naturally than if you just sprinkle them on top at the end.
Stretch and top the dough. There are two important points to make here. First, my recommended order for toppings on this pizza goes like this: olive oil, mozzarella, leeks, potato. If you put the leeks on last, they’ll be on top of the potato slices and risk burning in the oven. Putting the potato slices on top protects them from the direct heat just enough to keep them perfect. If your potato slices are verging on overcooked, though, try this order instead: olive oil, leeks, potato slices, mozzarella.
Second, and importantly, leave two little gaps or “nests” between the toppings. This is where you’ll put your eggs later. If you don’t leave these gaps, your eggs are at risk of not having anywhere to settle and sliding around, even falling off the pizza entirely. (I’ve seen it happen.)
Partially bake the pizza and add the eggs. The key here is to catch the pizza at just the right time. If you add the eggs from the beginning, they’ll be overcooked by the time the pizza is done. If you add them too late, they’ll still be raw by the end. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy to spot the right moment. The crust will have puffed up around the outside and just started to to develop a golden hue. The mozzarella cubes will generally be maybe halfway melted – definitely gooey around the outside, but still showing that they went on as cubes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Potatoes on pizza? Really? Yes. Trust me on this one. It sounds weird at first, but these tender, salty, roasted potato slices add an extra dimension of heartiness to your pizza.
Eggs on pizza? Really? Yes. But I won’t fight as hard for these as for the potato slices! I really recommend trying them once, but if the idea is repulsive, go ahead and leave them off. (But the final product won’t be as good!) If you’re not quite sold, think of it this way: the lusciously runny yolk is the perfect rich dipping sauce for the otherwise bland crusts you might leave behind.
Potato Leek Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 ball of pizza dough (try my two hour pizza dough recipe!)
- ½ medium leek
- 1 medium yellow potato
- 2 eggs
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- chili flakes to taste (optional)
- 4 ounces mozzarella, cut into cubes
- parmesan
Instructions
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with your pizza stone inside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Thinly slice and thoroughly wash the leek. Cut the potato into ⅛” to ¼” slices. Crack the eggs into individual bowls and set aside (do not put both in one bowl).
- Roast the potato. Gently toss the potato slices in a bowl along with enough olive oil to generously coat them, salt to taste, and a generous amount of black pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until cooked through and beginning to develop some brown edges, around 30 minutes.
- Cook the leek. While the potatoes roast, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the leeks, a generous pinch of salt, and chili flakes (optional). Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stretch and top the dough. Stretch your pizza dough to a 12” to 14” circle. Brush the entire top surface with olive oil, then top with the mozzarella cubes. Sprinkle on the leeks, then arrange the potato slices on top. As you do all of this, leave two empty little “nests” that you can pour the eggs into later.
- Partially bake the pizza and add the eggs. Bake the pizza at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on your preheated pizza stone until the crust puffs up and just barely begins to change color. At this point, pour the eggs into the two “nests” that you left for them.
- Finish the pizza, and enjoy! Return the pizza to the oven and continue baking until the egg whites are set, the yolks are runny, and the crust is golden brown. Finish the pizza by sprinkling the egg yolks with sea salt and cracking some extra black pepper over the whites, then shaving fresh parmesan on top of everything. Enjoy!
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