“This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. Literally. The lemon makes it.”

Those were Mike’s exact words on Friday night, which is almost always pizza night at our house. I can’t say for sure whether or not it was the best pizza I’ve ever tasted, but it is definitely high on the list. I’m not sure if it’s the unexpected brightness of the lemon or the texture of roasted potato in contrast with the thin, crisp crust, but this pizza is definitely something special.

I started with my favorite pizza dough of all time (the one from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook). Only this time, because I forgot to make it the night before, I doubled the yeast (1 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp) and let it sit in the fridge all day. It was pretty much perfect, which is good to know because far too often, I forget to start the dough the night before.

Anyway, I found the recip for this beautiful pizza on In Praise of Leftovers but it was Mike’s idea to crack the egg on top, which was a brilliant addition. He also commented that for the carnivorous among us, prosciutto would be another nice touch.

Recipe:
(adapted from In Praise of Leftovers)

makes 2 10-inch thin crust pizzas

enough pizza dough for two 10″ pizzas
cornmeal
3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Toss the potato, garlic, onion, and olive oil with a few pinches of salt and pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Turn the oven up to 500 F (use a pizza stone if you have one). Sprinkle a few tablespoons of cornmeal on a pizza peel or cookie sheet, and stretch your dough out to about a 10″ circle. Set on the cornmeal, then evenly spread some potato mixture and half the lemon slices on the dough. Sprinkle half the thyme over the top. Slide gently onto the pizza stone and bake for about 5 minutes, then quickly crack an egg in the center and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Continue baking for 5-7 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the egg is cooked. Repeat with remaining dough and ingredients.

If you’re ever hesitant about trying a new vegetable, roast it with tons of butter and it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll fall madly in love. At least, that was my experience with parsnips. I had never tried one until about two years ago, when Mike brought some home from the store, sliced them up, and roasted them with ungodly amounts of butter. Ever since then, I’ve been smitten.

When I saw this recipe, I immediately knew parsnips would play a major part in it, but I was also excited to try turnip and rutabaga for the first time. (The verdict? They’re good, but not as good as parsnips).

Anyway, since winter is prime root vegetable time, this is a perfect dish to make right now. The original recipe called for wheat berries, but I used barley because that’s what I had in the cupboard. I suspect it would be good with whatever whole grain you happen to like. I added some orange zest, toasted walnuts, and balsamic vinegar, but there are a whole bunch of other ideas for making this on David Lebovitz’s post.

Recipe:
(adapted from David Lebovitz)

1 1/2 cups pearled barley
4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
bay leaf
2 lbs mixed root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, turnip, rutabaga), cut into 1/2″ dice
1 red onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
zest from 1/2 an orange
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the salt, bay leaf, and barley. Simmer, partially covered, until the barley is tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered until you’re ready to mix up the salad.

Toss the vegetables, onion, olive oil, thyme, a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and spread on a sheet pan. Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender.

Toss the barley and vegetables together in a large bowl with the balsamic, walnuts, and orange zest. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.