Quarterly Mash-Up: Potatoes and Pizza: Easy as Pie

With foodservice continuing to rapidly evolve, operators are still shaping their menu to takeout and delivery-friendly items. With decades of leadership and innovation in delivery, pizza remains on top when it comes to bringing delicious, hot, high-quality food to patrons.

Potatoes have a long history as a versatile, delicious, and nutrient-dense vegetable topping on pizza, from the famed New Haven (CT.) From Mashed Potato Pizza to the Purple Potato Pesto Pizza at Tony’s Gemingani’s famous Tony’s Coal Fired Pizza in San Francisco. In fact, one of the original Roman pizzas that still maintains popularity and adoration today is Pizza con Potate e Rosmarino.

Not only are potatoes America’s favorite vegetable¹, they’re an excellent source of Vitamin C, shown to boost consumers’ immune function which is more important than ever.

When adding potatoes to your pizza menu, or adding a pizza menu because you love these recipes, here are some tips for cooking pizza with potatoes:

• Cook your potatoes first! Pizza cooks relatively quickly, it is a good idea to precook your potatoes, whether they are fresh, frozen and/or dehydrated potatoes they should be prepared prior to putting them on the pizza.
• Think about how the pizza will be enjoyed. Potatoes should be in small, easy to eat bites, nothing is worse than pulling off all the toppings with your first bite.
• In some instances, it is a good idea to par cook the crust, certain toppings and sauces can dry out in the oven in the time it takes for the crust to cook. Consider par baking the crust then topping it before finishing it in the oven.
• Deck, convection, impingement, and combi ovens work the best, and it is even better if you have a pizza stone to cook on.
• Place the pizza on the lowest position in the oven if using a conventional oven. This will result in a crispy crust without the toppings becoming overdone.

Inspiration

Give more variety to your existing pizza menu by adding potatoes. Potatoes can pair with a variety of pizza styles and across different sauces. They pair beautifully with other vegetables or meat and bring together consumers love of potatoes with their remarkable versatility.

Here are some of our favorite potato pizza pairings we’re seeing:

• Bring color and flair to your menu with our Red, White and Brie Potato Pizza. Fingerling potatoes in a medley of colors pair with brie for a show-stopping presentation.
• Looking to capture the love for breakfast at dinner time? This Sunset Hash Brown Pizza works perfectly any time of day. This is a great way to use breakfast ingredients in new and unexpected ways.
• Can’t decide between burgers and pizza? Have both with the American Smash Burger Pizza. This larger-than-life pie features fries right on top of the pizza to complete the experience.
• This Roasted Garlic and Herb Potato Pizza brings it all together on top of a creamy Alfredo base, just one of many sauce bases that work with potatoes, from marinara to pesto to BBQ.

Menu Spy

When it comes to a loaded baked potato, there are a lot of recipes we love. But when you pair a loaded baked potato with a pizza, that’s sure to be a crowd-pleasing dish anyone will love. Check out Minnesota’s very own Pizza Luce, who menus this Baked Potato Pizza loaded with cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and tomatoes.

Did you know?

Potatoes on pizza need to be shared with the world and we’re looking to enlist some of the most innovative and creative chefs from across the industry to help. Use potatoes as a pizza topping or a side that perfectly pairs with a pizzeria menu– whatever sparks your creative juices.

You can win up to $2000 if you submit the best recipe.