Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Irish Pizza

Irish Pizza? Yes! This is pizza re-imagined with traditional Irish sausage and potato pie ingredients (plus a few others). I have never had potatoes on pizza before, but it just seemed like a good idea. Turns out, it is a good idea. If you are looking for something a little different then give this pizza pie from the Emerald Isle a try.

INGREDIENTS
White Sauce
- 3 tbsp margarine
- 1.5 tbsp flour
- 1 cup plain soy milk
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp sage
- salt and pepper to taste

- 8 oz sliced white mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- dash of salt and pepper

- 2-3 small Yukon gold potatoes
- 2-3 breakfast sausages, sliced into 1/4" pieces
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach
- 1 12" pizza crust

METHOD
I baked my pizza on the BBQ on a pizza stone atop 4 soup cans. I set the temperature to about 500 degrees. You can also bake it in an oven at the same temperature.
1. Make the white sauce: heat margarine in a small pot over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 min. Whisk in soy milk, add spices, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and put in the fridge to bring the sauce down to room temperature.
2. Toss mushrooms in olive oil, thyme, and salt. Transfer to a stoneware baking sheet and roast on the BBQ (atop the baking stone), or in the oven, for 15 mins, or until mushrooms are browned.
3. While mushroom are roasting, slice potatoes very thinly. Boil in salted water for 1 min, then drain and rinse with cold water to keep them from cooking any more. Drain and pat dry.
4. Remove white sauce from fridge and whisk smooth. Spread on top of pizza crust. Top with chopped spinach and sausage. Top that with mushrooms and potato slices. Lightly spray top with olive oil and bake for 10-12 mins, or until crust and potatoes are nicely browned.