Potato-Leek Pizza with Bacon

Well, since the husband was on such a roll with the last cookbook I let him have the pick again. I think that will be our thing...he chooses, and I cook. Anyway, this time he selected The Pioneer Woman Cooks! cookbook. We love PW, so it wasn't much of a stretch. Again, I looked for recipes that were not totally unhealthful and were things that didn't automatically jump out at me. This pizza was my first choice, and it was so good! The husband said it reminded him of the potato skins appetizer, only in pizza form. I must agree...it was the best of both worlds!

Potato-Leek Pizza with Bacon
Adapted From: The Pioneer Woman Cooks! cookbook, by: Ree Drummond

Ingredients:
1 batch of my Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (see below)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
3 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 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
freshly ground black pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Prepare the pizza crust by drizzling lightly with olive oil and sprinkling lightly with salt.

In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until cooked but not crisp, then remove and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the skillet. Return it to the stove and, over medium-low heat, saute the leeks until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the leeks from the heat and set aside.

Using a sharp knife or mandoline, slice the potatoes very thin. Be careful not to allow them enough time to oxidize. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer all over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt, then lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Place the leeks on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the fried bacon pieces over the top. Add a generous dose of crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan, and a sprinkle of pepper.

In an oven preheated to 500 degrees F, bake the pie for 8-11 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice it into wedges or squares and serve immediately.

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Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups of AP flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder

Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.

Cook on grill, as indicated in the above directions or according to your recipe instructions.



The Result:
This was spooooooo good! I loved finding yet another pizza variation that I could throw into the rotation. Pizza is so versatile...it's really a crying shame that most people do not experiment with pizza flavors, or just stick to whatever the local take-out shop has on their menu. There is a whole world of delicious, unusual pizza toppings just waiting to be discovered!

I tried to lighten this recipe up by pairing this pizza with the my whole wheat crust recipe, and I cut the amount of bacon in half from the original recipe. I only used 3 strips of really great quality applewood smoked bacon, and it was plenty. I used small red potatoes and followed the remainder of the recipe as-is. Again, it was so, so, so, soooooo good!!!!