This Potato and Rosemary Pizza is made with thin and crispy sliced potatoes, drizzled in olive oil, and topped with fresh rosemary all layered on a thin-crust pizza dough with mozzarella. This style of pizza is a combination of Roman and Naples-style pizza inspired by our time in Italy and Spain.
Potato and Rosemary Pizza in Girona, Spain
We first had potato and rosemary pizza while exploring the streets of Girona, a city on the northern coast of Spain, not too far from the French Border. It was a Roman-style pizza, or Pizza al Taglio. We also had it while traveling with friends in Rome, right before heading to see the Roma-Atalanta soccer (fútbol) game.
I never knew how good rosemary could taste until that first bite of the Roman-style pizza in Girona. Around lunch time we started to see people walking around the town with squares of pizza wrapped in paper. We followed the people/breadcrumbs to a take-out-style pizza place. We ordered a few slices along with a coke and sat on some nearby stairs to eat and watch passersby.
Pizza al Taglio (Roman Style)
The style of pizza that we had in Girona and Rome is called Pizza al Taglio in Italian for pizza by the slice. It is a casual style of pizza made in large rectangle baking sheets, like focaccia. Then it is cut into small squares or rectangles and sold by weight.
Pizza Napoletana (Naples Style)
Pizza Napoletana is pizza made with a thin crust and a thick chewy crust. This style of pizza is governed by strict regulations. It can only be made with San Marzano tomatoes, and wheat flour with a specific protein content, and only 20% of the total flour content can be Manitoba flour (interestingly enough imported from Canada). The dough needs to be shaped by hand, must be less than 3mm thick, and has specific baking time and temperature requirements.
These requirements are taken very seriously. Because this recipe does not call for a San Marzano tomato sauce, it's not quite Naples style. However, the dough is inspired by Naples-style pizza.
Rome and Naples Inspired Pizza
This recipe here is a combination of Roman Style and Naples Style pizza. It has a Naples-style crust but a Roman-style potato and rosemary topping, inspired by our trips to Girona, Spain, and Rome, Italy.
Making Pizza Dough at Home
Making your own Neapolitan-style Poolish Pizza Dough is totally feasible with just a little bit of time and planning ahead. The dough is made by first creating a poolish, or starter, that sits in the fridge overnight. The poolish improves the flavor and texture of the dough and creates that classic chewiness in the crust, which is otherwise so hard to do at home.
It’s easy to throw together after the kids are in bed or after you’re home from work. It’s this overnight process that first, makes it so good, and second, makes it easier to put together. If you’re able to set aside 15 minutes the night before, it takes a whole element out of meal prep the next day. It can also likely be done without other things competing for your attention.
Check out the link to the recipe for Neapolitan pizza dough along with simple, but detailed instructions.
Buying pizza dough from the store is great too. It makes pizza at home way faster and easier on a busy schedule.
Looking for more pizza recipes? Try our favorite Grandma Pie Pizza or Broccolini Pizza.
If you tried this Roman-style Rosemary and Potato Pizza or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Potato and Rosemary Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 lb homemade pizza dough or store bought
- 4 medium red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and minced, divided
- 8 oz mozzarella (fresh or low moisture), grated
- Maldon sea salt flakes for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 400℉. Arrange the potato slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, ⅔ of the rosemary, and a few cracks of salt. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until they are lightly golden brown in color. They will cook more while on the pizza.
- Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 550℉ or as high as the oven will go. Allow to preheat for 1 hour. If you do not have a pizza stone, you can use a baking sheet instead. If using a baking sheet, preheat the oven to 450℉.
- Making the Pizza: Place the dough on a lightly floured counter. Divide into 2 balls of dough. With your fingers, press the middle of the dough down and out slightly towards the edges. Flip and do the same on the other side. Then create the crust by pressing the air from the middle of the dough out towards the edge and pinch to seal the air into the crust. Place the dough over your two fists and stretch out the dough until it is thin.
- Assembling the Pizza: Dust a small amount of flour on a pizza peel. Stretch the pizza dough over the pizza peel so that one edge hangs off the peel by about ½ an inch. Add half of the mozzarella, half of the sliced potatoes, and half of the remaining minced rosemary. Add another drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes over the pizza.Slide the pizza from the pizza peel onto the pizza stone by placing the ½ inch hanging off the edge of the pizza peel onto the pizza stone and in one quick motion sliding the pizza off the peel.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes depending on your oven and pizza stone. Use a pair of tongs to help pull the pizza back onto the pizza peel. Repeat with the remaining pizza and toppings.
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