Cook from the Book: Potato-Leek Pizza

Cook from the Book: Potato-Leek Pizza

I've been wanting this cookbook for a long, long time. I kept putting it in my Amazon cart and then removing it because I was on a diet and I didn't want to have it in the house until I was finished. The first thing I did after losing 30 pounds was order this book and promise my husband that I would only prepare one dish a month from it. DEAL!

Do you know about Ree Drummond?

Ree was on The View a couple weeks ago and she mentioned her favorite thing to cook when her husband is out of town is Potato Leek Pizza. At heart Ree is a foodie, just like me and her husband is not. I was going to make this while MY husband was out of town but I only felt like having cereal every night and so I ended up making it on a night that I made pizza for my family.

There is my section, my husband's with Canadian Bacon and mushrooms and just cheese for the kids. I did share some of my pizza with my hubby and he didn't like it. I loved it! More for me!

Potato-Leek Pizza
by The Pioneer Woman

½ recipe Pizza Crust
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 leeks, rinsed well to remove grit and thinly sliced
5 small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 500ºF.
2. Prepare the pizza crust and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
3. Begin by placing the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the bacon until cooked but not crisp.
4. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.
5. Pour off most of the grease. Do not clean the skillet. Return the skillet to the stove and turn the heat to medium-low.
6. Add the leeks to the pan and sauté over medium-low heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
7. Using a sharp knife or mandoline, slice the potatoes very thin. You’ll need to do this just before you need them, as the potatoes will brown very quickly.
8. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer all over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Potatoes make a surprisingly delicious pizza topping! I was in my thirties before I discovered this. I missed out on so much!
9. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt, then lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. I love fresh mozzarella and will drive a hundred miles to get it.
10. Place the leeks on top of the cheese. The flavor of leeks sautéed in bacon grease is not to be believed.
11. I usually lay on the leeks pretty thick.
12. Next, sprinkle the fried bacon pieces over the top…
13. Followed by a generous addition of crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan, and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
14. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into wedges or squares and serve immediately.