Potato Sfincione
Potato Cream, Garlic, Fontina, Grana Padano, Seasoned Breadcrumbs, and Lemon
Chef Michael Hanna of St. Vito Focacceria | Nashville
Yield: 1 pizza
Adapted by StarChefs | April 2022
INGREDIENTS:
Pizza Dough:
Yield: 1 pizza
100 grams sourdough starter
10 grams turbinado sugar
400 grams high-protein bread flour, such as einkorn, red fife, spelt, or White Sonoran wheat
100 grams freshly milled flour
35 grams olive oil, plus more for greasing
10 grams salt
Potato Cream:
Yield: 2 quarts
900 grams high-quality cream
Preserved lemon
Garlic cloves, minced or grated
Salt
Black pepper
300 grams peeled, roasted russet potato
300 grams cream cheese
Cold butter, cubed
To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 pizza
Olive oil
12 medium-sized cubes Ambrosi fontina
30 grams peeled, roasted russet potato slices
Grated Ambrosi Grana Padano
Seasoned breadcrumbs
Lemon
METHOD:
For the Pizza Dough:
In a small bowl, whisk together starter, sugar, and 400 grams water until sugar dissolves. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add flours. Mix on low speed, slowly adding the starter mixture. Continue mixing until the dough only has a few lumps, 3 to 4 minutes. Let dough autolyze 45 minutes. While mixing on low speed, slowly add oil and salt. Increase mixer speed every 30 seconds until it reaches high. Transfer dough to a large container. Let proof 4 to 6 hours, stretching every 30 minutes. Grease one 10-by-14-by-2-inch steel pan heavily with olive oil. Place dough in the pan. Loosely cover, refrigerate, and let ferment 12 to 24 hours.
For the Potato Cream:
In a large pot, gently warm cream to about 180°F. Season with preserved lemon, garlic, salt, and lots of pepper. Transfer cream to a Vitamix blender. On high speed, slowly blend in the potato. Work in batches if necessary. Blend to incorporate cream cheese, followed by a couple cubes of butter. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Season with more salt and pepper. Reserve.
To Assemble and Serve:
Heat oven to 500°F. Using a generous amount of olive oil, stretch Pizza Dough so it reaches all 4 corners of the pan. Press fontina into the Pizza Dough and top with potato. Bake until golden brown, 7 to 20 minutes. Remove pizza from the pan and let rest 6 minutes to maintain the integrity of the crumb. Slowly pour Potato Cream over the Pizza Dough, covering it evenly. Cover with Grana Padano and seasoned breadcrumbs. Finish with lemon zest, slice, and serve.
