Based on a classic Italian recipe, this potato pizza is as delicious as it is simple, topped with paper-thin sliced potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. To make it vegan, just skip the cheese or use shredded vegan cheese instead.
Why This Recipe Works
Wait a minute. Potatoes on pizza?! Isn't that carb overload? The concept might seem strange to you — especially since we're all taught that too many carbs is a bad thing. But potatoes are actually a popular Roman pizza topping, and this is one of the most surprisingly delicious recipes I've made. Biting into a slice of crispy pizza dough blanketed with tender, perfectly seasoned potatoes is a pleasure I never knew I was missing!
As with any other dish with minimal ingredients, the quality of each ingredient is key. Choose an olive oil that tastes good to you; locally grown or organic potatoes with buttery yellow or golden flesh; and the freshest rosemary you can find. If you have a fancy flavored olive oil, this is a great excuse to use it. If you're adding cheese, which I highly recommend unless you're vegan or avoiding dairy, splurge on a small hunk of imported Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano. (Or, visit your favorite local cheese shop and ask for a locally made hard cheese that goes well with potatoes.)
How to Make Potato Pizza
First, slice and soak your potatoes. Using a mandoline slicer* or the large slicer side of a box grater, cut the potatoes into paper-thin slices. Place the potatoes in a bowl of salty water and soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This soaking time softens the potatoes so they get nice and creamy-tender in the oven.
When the potatoes are done soaking, drain them well and toss them with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, minced onion, and chopped fresh rosemary. Then, stretch or roll out your pizza dough and spread the potato mixture on top in an even layer.
Bake the pizza until the bottom of the crust is evenly browned and the potatoes are tender, take it out of the oven, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil, shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, if using, and some more fresh rosemary leaves. If you like that kind of thing, top your slice with a few shakes of hot sauce.
Looking for other classic Italian pizza toppings? Add these recipes to your list, too:
Classic Potato Pizza with Fresh Rosemary
Equipment
- Mandoline slicer or box grater
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
- Pizza peel (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 to 1½ pounds small to medium-size gold potatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ small yellow onion, minced (⅓ to ½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus some whole leaves for garnish
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough (such as 1-Hour Pizza Dough, Overnight Pizza Dough, Neapolitan Style Dough, or Sourdough Pizza Dough)
- 3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the water and salt until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Use a mandoline slicer or the slicing side of a box grater to slice the potatoes paper thin. Place the sliced potatoes in the bowl of salted water and press them down so they are fully submerged. Set aside to soak for 1 hour, then drain in a colander.
- (If you don't have time to soak the potatoes for an hour, blanch them instead: Measure 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt into a medium pot. Place the pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil, and add the sliced potatoes. Let the water come back to a boil, cook for 10 seconds, then immediately drain the potatoes.)
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. If you're using a baking stone/steel, place it in the center of the oven before you start preheating.
- Spread the soaked or blanched and drained potato slices on a paper towel–lined cutting board and pat them dry with extra paper towels.
- Place the potato slices in a large bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the minced onion, a few grinds of black pepper, a large pinch of salt, and the chopped rosemary. Use your hands to gently toss everything together until the potatoes are evenly coated and the seasonings and onion are evenly distributed.
- Stretch or roll out the pizza dough to a 12- to 14-inch round (or a 12-by-14-inch rectangle, for a classic Roman-style pizza). Transfer the dough to an oiled baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Prick the dough all over with a fork to prevent big bubbles from forming in the oven. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on top of the dough, making sure the potato slices go all the way to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle with another pinch or two of salt and a grind or two of black pepper.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bottom of the crust is evenly browned and the potatoes are tender and beginning to brown in spots.
- Remove the pizza from the oven. Drizzle with olive oil, season with a pinch of salt, and scatter on the whole rosemary leaves. Finish with the finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, if using. Slice and serve.
Video
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Amy Liu Dong says
Wow! This pizza recipe looks yummy and great innovation for pizza lovers out there. I'll definitely try to make this for the family. Loved it!
Peggy Paul Casella says
Thanks!
JP says
I followed the instructions and the potatoes were undercooked. They have to be cooked, not just soaked in water, before they go on the pizza.
Peggy Paul Casella says
Sorry you didn't like the recipe, JP. The potatoes are supposed to be al dente, not all-the-way tender, which is why I only soak them. If you like them more tender, you can boil the slices for a few minutes instead of soaking them.
magda says
i am making this pizza over the weekend. i did a test of baking potato slices and sliced them very, very thin on my mandolin. they got rather dark in 10 minutes. i wonder if it was because 1/ baked on foil instead of dough ( remember, it was a test for optimal potato cooking ) at 500* for 10 minutes , 2/ paper thin too thin. i think both of these things would change the texture etc but wonder if a slightly thicker but still thin potato slice would work better ? i realize that you can only guess, but given the parameters i used, do you suggest a bit thicker potato, or would they NOT cook when placed on dough instead of foil. appreciate your input.
Peggy Paul Casella says
The potatoes definitely browned that much because you baked them on foil instead of the pizza dough. If you slice them paper thin, soak them as described in the recipe, and then bake them on the pizza as instructions say, they will be al dente.
magda says
thank you
Maggie says
This recipe was famtastic! My husband was skeptical about not cooking potatoes but I told him to trust the process lol I used my own dough and we cooked it as we always do on a someone in our gas grill. Our guests raved about this pizza in particular. Saving this recipe for sure
Peggy Paul Casella says
Thanks for this! It's such a great feeling to know that my recipes are out there making people happy!
Diana says
Just made this pizza…delicious!
Dough was light and airy and potatoes cooked up nicely!
One question after soaking potatoes in brine do you need to rinse? Secondly I wrapped and rolled in paper towel as you did on video but mine still turned browned around the edges?? I did let it sit wrapped in paper towel as I was putting the dough on my sheet pan.
Btw I added some mozzarella combined with parm and it was lovely! Thanks 😊
Peggy Paul Casella says
Oooh I like the addition of mozzarella! No need to rinse the potatoes after soaking. They might have turned brown because they were out of the water too long before baking. So glad you liked the recipe!
Mary says
What did you use to slice the potatoes? I am going to make this this weekend for my husband, adult children, and grandbabies.
Peggy Paul Casella says
I use the large slicer hole on my box grater, but a mandoline slicer would be even better!
victoria says
Can you use olive oil in a pizza oven?
Peggy Paul Casella says
Yes, you can definitely use olive oil on pizzas you bake in a pizza oven!
Jess says
Keeping this recipe in rotation!!! My kids loved it (even though I accidentally used chili olive oil!) and they were so psyched to pick and arrange the rosemary from a plant we just bought. Would have never thought of potato pizza without you! Thanks for another great one!
Peggy Paul Casella says
Yay! Glad you liked it!