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Smashed Potato Pizza Crust

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Smashed Potato Pizza Crust is a brilliant gluten-free crust made out of a whole Russet potato, a little olive oil and salt and pepper. That’s it!Golden and crispy Smashed Potato Pizza Crust on parchmentOne ingredient (plus oil, salt and pepper)!

Gluten-free. Super delicious.  And so you see . . . it’s brilliant.

Does it taste and behave like pizza dough? 

No! Of course not. It’s not dough, it’s a potato.

If it’s extra crispy, you might be able to hold a slice in your hand to eat it, but you will very likely prefer to use a fork and knife.

Below are two examples of pizzas using this crust: Smashed Potato Onion-Tomato Pizza and Smashed Potato Egg Pizza with Bacon.

 

What is Smashed Potato Pizza Crust?

A potato!

Okay, it’s not just a potato — it’s a smashed potato that’s soft and creamy on the inside — and perfectly crisped and seasoned on the outside. 

And it turns out, it’s a fantastic vehicle to to hold all sorts of food on, slice like a pizza and then devour.

Please don’t be daunted by all of the steps to make the Smashed Potato Pizza Crust — each one is quite simple, I just wanted to give you a visual step-by-step guide.

How to Make a Smashed Potato Pizza Crust

Step 1:  Preheat the oven to 425°F, and adjust a rack to the center.

Step 2:  Start with a large Russet potato – use an approximately 1-pound potato for a 10-inch pizza crust.
One whole Russet potato on black background
Step 3:  Rub the surface of the potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
One whole oiled Russet potato Step 4:  Use a fork to make several pricks all around the potato. (You can do this before you oil it, if you prefer.)

Russet potato with fork in itStep 5:  Place the prepared potato on a baking sheet or heavy-duty foil, and place it in the preheated 425°F oven.  Bake the potato until it’s fully cooked and tender, and the skin is crispy.  This should take 1 to 1½ hours.  Turn the potato over about half way through the cooking time.

While Russet baked potato on black backgroundStep 6:  Turn the oven down to 400°F.

Step 7:  Place the baked potato on a large sheet of parchment paper. Then place another sheet, about the same size, on top of it.

whole baked Russet potato between pieces of parchment paperStep 8:  Use the bottom of a 10-inch sauté pan to very gently press down on the top sheet of parchment and the potato.

Russet potato between pieces of parchment with pan on topStep 9:  Gently press on the center of the pan until you can feel that the potato has flattened considerably.

Pan smashing Russet potato under parchment paperStep 10:  Flip the sauté pan over to see if the smashed potato will easily and snugly fit into the pan.  If it’s a good fit, skip step 11.

Smashed Russet potato with pan on topStep 11:  If it’s not a good fit, use a rolling pin on top of the top sheet of parchment paper, to gently roll it to the right size.

Rolling pin on top of parchment paper with Russet potato under it

Step 12:  Once it’s the right size, remove the top sheet of parchment paper.

Smashed Russet Potato on parchment paperStep 13:  Coat the bottom of the sauté pan with olive oil and drizzle olive oil over the smashed potato.

Smashed Russet potato with oil bring drizzled onto itStep 14:  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Russet potato smashed, with oil and salt and pepperStep 15:  Now place the sauté pan upside down on top of the smashed potato.

Step 16:  Hold an upside down baking sheet against the edge of your work surface and carefully slide the bottom parchment with the potato and pan, onto the sheet. Place one hand on top of the bottom of the pan as you move it.

upside down cast iron skillet

Step 17:  Now, carefully holding both the underside of the baking sheet, and the top of the bottom of the pan, invert the smashed potato into the pan.

Smashed Russet potato in pan covered with piece of parchment paperStep 18:  Remove the parchment paper.

Smashed Russet potato in cast iron skilletStep 19:  Place the pan over medium-high heat and sauté until the bottom is golden and crispy, about 10 minutes. You can check by using a small dull knife to gently lift it at its edge.

Step 20:  Line a baking sheet with another sheet of parchment paper and drizzle more olive oil over the top of the smashed potato. Then place the baking sheet upside down, on top of the sauté pan and invert the smashed potato onto it.

Top view of crispy Smashed Russet potato pizza crustStep 21:  At this point you would add your choice of toppings and bake until the bottom is crisp, cheese is melted and the toppings are hot.

Enjoy!

Smashed Pizza Crust on parchment paper

Smashed Potato Pizza Crust

Valentina K. Wein
Smashed Potato Pizza Crust is a brilliant gluten-free crust made out of a whole Russet potato, a little olive oil and salt and pepper. That's it!
Makes 1 (10-inch) crust
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 40 mins
Total Time 1 hr 55 mins
Course Ingredient
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 90 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (1-pound) Russet potato, washed and dried
  • olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F, and adjust a rack to the center.
  • Rub the surface of the potato with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and use a fork to make several pricks all around the potato
  • Place the prepared potato on a baking sheet or heavy-duty foil, and place it in the preheated 425°F oven. Bake the potato until it’s fully cooked and tender, and the skin is crispy. This should take 1 to 1½ hours. Turn the potato over about half way through the cooking time.
  • Place the baked potato on a large sheet of parchment paper. Then place another sheet, about the same size, on top of it.
  • Use the bottom of a 10-inch sauté pan to very gently press down on the top sheet of parchment and the potato. Gently press on the center of the pan until you can feel that the potato has flattened considerably.
  • Flip the sauté pan over to see if the smashed potato will easily and snugly fit into the pan. If it’s not a good fit, use a rolling pin on top of the top sheet of parchment paper, to gently roll it to the right size. Once it’s the right size, remove the top sheet of parchment paper.
  • Coat the bottom of the sauté pan with olive oil and drizzle olive oil over the smashed potato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Now place the sauté pan upside down on top of the smashed potato.
  • Hold an upside down baking sheet against the edge of your work surface and carefully slide the bottom parchment with the potato and pan, onto the sheet. Place on hand on top of the bottom of the pan as you move it.
  • Now, carefully holding both the underside of the baking sheet, and the top of the bottom of the pan, invert the smashed potato into the pan. Remove the parchment paper.
  • Place the pan over medium-high heat and sauté until the bottom is golden and crispy, about 10 minutes. You can check by using a small dull knife to gently lift it at its edge.
  • Line a baking sheet with another sheet of parchment paper and drizzle more olive oil over the top of the smashed potato. Then place the baking sheet upside down, on top of the sauté pan and invert the smashed potato onto it.
  • At this point you would add your choice of toppings and bake in a 400°F oven until the bottom is crisp, cheese is melted and the toppings are hot.

Notes

Calorie count is only an estimate.
Keywords gluten-free pizza recipes, best gluten-free pizza crusts
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Comments

  1. David says

    What a cool idea – this lends one to all variety of toppings, casual and elegant. I could easily see this with crème fraîche and caviar! Thanks for the (yes) brilliant idea!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      David, I love the idea of crème fraîche and caviar on this. (How about bite-sized with little Dutch Yellow potatoes?) Happy Holiday Season!

      Reply

  6. Marta says

    Hi, I just came across this wonderful recipe!! I LOVE it!! Thank you so much for sharing!! My mind is already thinking ALL the ideas to top this crust! Not to mention I am drooling already too!! LOL… Would be wonderful for Breakfast – topped with scrambled eggs and crumbled Bacon.. I could go on and on… I am
    so Pinning this and heating the oven!! lol.. Thanks Again!! And I agree… BRILLANT!!!!

    Reply

  7. Ginger says

    Sounds easy and delicious! I’m kind of on a sweet potato kick right now. Ever tried this with sweet potatoes?

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Thanks, Ginger! I haven’t tried it with sweet potatoes — I’d use a yellow one to try it (it has more starch). I’m not sure it will hold together as well but it’s worth a try. 🙂

      Reply

  8. Courtney says

    This recipe looks really great! I was wondering if you could bake the potatoes ahead of time and then smash them the next day (or just not right after baking) for a make-ahead option? Or do you think they need to be hot out of the oven for smashing?

    Thanks!
    Courtney

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Hi Courtney,
      I’ve tried both and it’s much easier right out of the oven — and it ultimately holds together better. 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply

  10. Jeff the Chef says

    This is really interesting. At first, I was thinking that I’d just want to eat it as-is. But then I thought, yeah, a little cheese on top would be great. But then I noticed the version you showed with the fried edd, and yeah, that’d be awesome! What a great idea! I’m a cast iron devotee, so this is right in my lane.

    Reply

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