Pizza with potatoes, fennel and taleggio cheese

Ingredients:

Potato

• 2 medium Russet Burbanks (about 450 g), cut into 4 pieces
• 1 clove of garlic
• Half a small fennel root, cored and thinly sliced ​​+ 2 tbsp chopped fennel greens
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pizza

• 1 pizza base, see recipe below
• 170 g thin slices of Taleggio cheese (rind removed)
• Half a small fennel root, core removed and thinly sliced
• 0.5 tbsp. grated parmesan
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Pizza base

• 4 cups of bread flour + a little for working with the dough
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon of instant yeast
• 0.5 cups extra-virgin olive oil + extra for greasing the bowl

Preparation:

1. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 260°C.
2. Prepare the potatoes:
   
   Combine the potatoes, garlic, and chopped fennel root and greens in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium; simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Add the olive oil and mash the potatoes until almost smooth. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper; set aside.
3. Assemble the pizza:
   
   Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread the Taleggio cheese and potatoes over the crust. Sprinkle with chopped fennel and Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Place the baking sheet on a hot pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and season with salt and pepper.

4. Pizza base

   
   In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Add 2 cups of warm water (about 104°F/40°C) and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.
   
   
   If you only need one pizza, wrap half the dough in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, let stand at room temperature for 4 hours, and drizzle with olive oil before stretching.
5. Using lightly floured hands, transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 1 minute (do not overwork). Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 260°C.
6. Grease two 12x18-inch (32x45 cm) baking sheets (not non-stick) with olive oil, 3 tablespoons per sheet. Place one piece of dough on each sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, then press firmly with your hands to fill the baking sheet.
7. Remove the plastic wrap and place the baking sheet on the hot pizza stone. Bake until the crust begins to darken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully unroll the crust from the baking sheet.
   
   
   The base can be baked up to 8 hours in advance: let it cool, then loosely wrap it and the baking sheet in plastic wrap.
8. Top with toppings and bake the pizza, or let the crust cool, wrap loosely in plastic wrap, and set aside for 8 hours.
   
   
   All ingredients can be prepared in advance. The potato filling will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 days.