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22 June 2012

BBQ explorations: Sicilian potato pizza

My friend Benny, il Siciliano tells me of a Sicilian pizza that they call pizza bianca con patate (literally "white pizza with potatoes") and how it's one of the best pizzas ever.

And after much rebuffing and then ACTUALLY eating one, I kind of have to agree.

It is, after all, ludicrous to think that putting more carbohydrates on top of baked dough would be delicious. It is like buttering one's bacon, or wearing socks with sandals. But I was wrong... those Italians know their carbs!

[Mostly sicilian potato pizza. Ignore the sausage-tomato-feta section of the pizza on the left; I didn't cook enough potatoes to top the entire dough... Word of advice: err on the side of extra potatoes. You can always use leftovers for science experiments.]

Cooking the pizza on the barbecue ensure that the dough will be awesome (you can still do it in the oven though). And now, assemble your own... here's how!

Sicilian potato pizza
  1. Heat the BBQ grill to about 450° F (230° C) or hotter. If you have a pizza stone (rectangular or round), use it, but don't touch it when it's hot.  
  2. Assemble the pizza. I made mine rectangular because that's the way Benny said it was done; if you don't listen to il Siciliano, you might get hurt. Finish it with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.
  3. Improvise how to get your pizza onto the [expletively] hot pizza stone. Or use a wooden pizza paddle, if available. 
  4. Cook for about 10 min, or until the dough looks cooked. I can't be held responsible if you burn your pizza because if your barbecue grill hates you like mine does, it might just do it to spite you.
(On that note, my barbecue grill is on its last legs from excessive use. If anyone would like to kindly donate a nice one to me, I wouldn't say no!)