My daughters have been asking for pizza for weeks. (We normally have homemade pizza about twice a month but we hadn’t made any for months!) After a rainy weekend, I was inspired to spend a couple hours in the kitchen while my youngest napped. After making our first batch of cookies in forever (I believe in two years!) with my daughters, I decided to jump start supper even though it was only 4 pm. It was so enjoyable to leisurely make dinner. (Sometimes I ask my husband to distract the kids, otherwise they frequently swoop in like vultures to eat off the pizza toppings!) Turns out by the time the pizza had cooled, my youngest was awake from his nap and ready to eat. Perfect timing!
Shortcuts
If you remember, I use my focaccia bread recipe for my pizza dough. I simply reduce the rise time. In fact, I usually skip the rise altogether and by the time I get all the toppings on, the crust still rises a nice amount!
I usually use leftover mashed potatoes for mashed potato pizza. This necessitates that I make a larger than usual batch. (This time I had a moment of panic when I couldn’t locate the leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge, but then realized I had already pulled them out of the fridge!)
After realizing that most hams are fully cooked, I’ve started foregoing cooking most of the ham. Rather, I dice up the ham I don’t expect to eat and throw it in the freezer for future recipes like mashed potato pizza, ham and eggs, stromboli, and cheesy potato soup.
Thin to win
One of the first times I made mashed potato pizza, I put way too much potatoes on. Not only did it require a fork to eat, but it overpowered the pizza (it was starch-tastic to say the least). I highly recommend spreading the mashed potatoes as thin as possible. Spread it thin, and the dinner’s a win!
