I’m a firm believer of don’t knock it until you’ve tried it so here we go….
Bit of a taste sensation to get your head used to but if it’s another gluten free / syn free take away alternative then it’s worth a try isn’t it?
We have all seen the pita bread / toast pizza but can you picture a potato smiley face with topping on top? Nom.
What I will say is you’re best off making this base quite thick so that it is nice and firm. I used a 8″ frying pan and I probably wouldn’t go any larger than that. You can easily make 2 bases one after the other and bake them together.
Ingredients
120-125g mashed potato flakes (Smash or stores own brand both work the same)
Boiling water
Fry Light
Mixed herbs
Garlic ( any form you like but not puree in a tube)
1-2tbsp Passata / tinned tomatoes (not puree)
Chilli flakes / tabasco (optional)
Topping – Ham and Mushroom for me, both are syn free so you can pile it high.
Grated Cheese – Can be whatever type you like, including vegan.
Method
In a large bowl, mix your mashed potato flakes with a little mixed herbs and garlic salt and with enough boiling water to make a firm dough, as if you were baking bread. Allow this to cool.
Once cool, warm a small frying pan and spray liberally with Fry Light to avoid sticking.
With your hands and a spoon, mould the potato dough in to the frying pan in a giant patty that fills the pan completely. Make sure the base is even and there are no holes.
Fry on a medium heat for around 5 minutes on each side until a lovely deep golden brown colour. You will need to flip the base over using the plate and pan method so that it doesn’t break whilst flipping. Leave to cool on a wire rack to help the base crisp up.
In a bowl, mix your passata with your additional flavourings such as garlic herbs and spicyness and spread across the base.
Pile on your toppings and then lash on the cheese. Word of warning… I tried to use my 2 babybell lights grated on top and the melt wasn’t fantastic so definitely worth using a ‘proper’ cheese.
Put the pizza on a pizza tray / wire rack / grill pan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pizza base has deepend in colour and the cheese is bubbling away nicely.
You might need a knife and fork to eat this as the base is never going to be as rigid as a proper pizza but you can still pick it up. The only thing I can liken the base too is potatoe smiley faces. Crispy on the outside but fluffy and potatoey in the middle.
We thoroughly enjoyed this and I hope you do too!
Thanks for posting about this, it looks really nice. I’ve heard ‘Smash pizzas’ being mentioned at Slimming World but I assumed they would be a bit crap to be honest! xx