recipe for mashed potato bacon pizza aka slice of carb coma

Last night I posted this to Twitter:

And then got a flood of replies wanting to know how I made it. So here we go.

First up, this is a pizza I first tasted at URBN Coal Fired Pizza in Vista, CA. Fortunately for my obsessive self, Vista is thirty minutes away, so this pizza is not easy for me shove into my face. HOWEVER that has all changed now that I tried to re-create it myself. (Shoot!) (Sarcasm.)

DOUGH:
I have made my own dough in the past. My favorite recipes are here and here.
This time I made it easy on myself and bought the ready to go pizza dough from Trader Joe’s.
Wheat, to make me feel kind of better for the carb coma.
It was good. No complaints from the peanut gallery.

WHITE SAUCE:
I recently learned how to make a pretty darn delicious white sauce for pasta. You can add different spices and cheeses to make it your “own”.
This is how I made ours:

4 large garlic cloves mashed up in the best garlic tool in the entire world, this.
(I have gotten one of those for almost everyone I know who loves to cook. It is that good.)
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 ounces parmesan cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle olive oil into sauce pan. Wait for it to heat. Add onion, cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft and starting to brown. Stir in the garlic and salt/pepper; cook until it smells yummy, about 30 seconds. Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. (If it’s too dry, add a tiny bit more olive oil) Slowly wisk in the chicken broth and cream. Bring to a simmer, wisking often. Add parmesan cheese, stirring/wisking constantly for a few minutes. Take off heat and let sit.

(I recently made this with chicken for a chicken alfredo. After adding the broth, cream, and cheese – you add in cubed uncooked chicken and let it cook for 8-10 minutes. Omg. TDF.)

TOPPINGS:
Make mashed potatoes to your liking.
Pre-cook bacon slightly. (I did it in the microwave for a few minutes)
*URBN uses pancetta, but I didn’t have that on hand.
Shredded mozzarella
Shredded parmesan

ASSEMBLE YOUR PIZZA:
Follow directions for dough. Once it is rolled out, spoon on the white sauce. I made sure my dough was covered nicely but you don’t want to drown it in sauce.
Put a nice layer of mashed potatoes. (You can’t really mess this up, but fiddle with the amount until you get it how you like it.)
Cut bacon into large pieces and throw on top.
Add a nice layer of mozzarella cheese (again to your liking)
Add a sprinkle of parmesan
Salt and pepper

COOK:
You want to cook the dough according to the directions.
Keep an eye on the toppings to make sure they aren’t getting overcooked.
(I cooked at 450 for 10-15 minutes)
Once the dough is nice and cooked through, turn on the broiler and leave the pizza underneath until the bacon and cheese are good and crispy.
Slide it onto a nice big cutting board and use your kitchen shears or a pizza cutter to get it ready for sharing. (If you can manage to.)
THEN SHOVE IT INTO YOUR FACE WHILE STANDING OVER THE SINK, BURNING THE ROOF OF YOUR MOUTH IN THE PROCESS.

Oh wait, that’s just what I did. You can try to be more civilized if you wish.

-Tara