Delicious hunks of ham…hot, cold, in a casserole, on a sandwich, or any which way is a dream come true for our son Matt. It comes as no surprise that our traditional Easter dinner of baked ham, cheesy garlic potatoes and peas is one of his favorite holiday dinners. Inspired by memories of this simple yet satisfying dinner, I created Matt’s 'Mmmm Haaam' Pizza.
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| Matt's 'Mmmm Haaam' Pizza |
The results of this taste test were rather surprising as I have never before actually eaten pizza on which potatoes are one of the toppings. Each gooey bite brought me back to the days of eating spoonsful of the warm leftover cheesy garlic potatoes while cleaning up the kitchen after our Easter dinner. This pizza contains no sauce, only the freshly roasted garlic paste that serves as a base to which the shredded extra sharp white cheddar cheese can adhere. I fully cooked the potatoes which caused me to worry that they would not hold their shape while the pizza baked, but they held up well. Since I didn’t have an entire ham roasting in the oven, I used deli ham off the bone from a local health food store. I rolled the slices and cut them crosswise into strips before placing them among the sliced potatoes on the pizza. Ultimately, the peas did not add much to the overall taste, but tradition dictated that they be used on Matt’s pizza. Perhaps using larger peas might help. After topping the pizza with a final layer of cheddar cheese, I drizzled a bit of heavy cream over all. My concern at this point was that the cream might cause the pizza to become soggy, but my fear was unfounded. The cream added a moistness and richness to the potatoes that facilitated the melding of the slices. The result was potatoes that looked and tasted like traditional scalloped potatoes.
You can be assured that this is not the pizza you want on your dinner table if you are trying to lose weight. With only 8 more pounds to go to my Weight Watchers goal and a 60 pound total loss, the voice in my head began its usual ‘You’ve worked so hard you deserve it’ speech. How I hate that speech; sometimes I can be so weak. This time, however, I held my ground and made it through the taste testing without giving in to that deafening voice in my head. After tasting one small piece, I knew that the recipe worked and that the pizza was both delicious and as comforting as any Easter dinner we enjoyed together as a family.
The following recipe is excerpted from Pizza Memoirs. Enjoy.
Matt’s ‘Mmmm Haaam’ Pizza
Ingredients:
2 | Medium Yukon gold potatoes, washed (approximately 8 ounces) |
Kosher salt | |
Freshly ground black pepper | |
8 to 9 ounces | Prepared pizza dough at room temperature |
2 tablespoons | Extra virgin olive oil |
1 | Recipe garlic paste, see basic recipe |
8 ounces | Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided |
4 ounces | Country baked ham, cut into slivers* |
¼ cup | Frozen peas, thawed |
¼ cup | Heavy cream |
Directions:
1. Place potatoes into a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices; season lightly with salt and pepper and reserve for topping.
2. Roll, stretch and shape dough into an unrefined rectangular or circular shape approximately 12 to 14 inches according to the basic directions. Brush dough with olive oil and spread with a thin layer of garlic paste. Sprinkle with 6 ounces of the cheddar cheese.
3. Arrange potato slices in an attractive pattern over cheese and scatter ham slivers and peas among the potato slices. Sprinkle with remaining 2 ounces of cheese and drizzle with heavy cream.
4. Bake on a preheated Pizza Grill or on a preheated pizza stone in a 500o oven, rotating after 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is firm and golden and cheese is bubbly across entire top of pizza.
5. Remove from heat, cut into squares or wedges as desired. Serve immediately.
*Tip: You can also use deli ham off the bone cut into narrow strips.
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