No Flour? No Problem: Sausage, Pepper & Kale Pizza

Nicole here again, getting plenty of cooking and baking in during this time of social distancing. As of late, I have been spending lots of time in the kitchen, perfecting my gluten-free pizza crust recipe, as comfort food has been my go to. This pizza crust is light, airy and full of texture, packing a good crunch that stands up to the spicy sausage, red pepper and crispy kale topping. The secret is in the mixing of both types of rice flours with mashed potato. While I have tried this recipe with chickpea and oat flours, the elasticity found in rice flour and its combination with potato, gives this pizza crust the crunch and texture that most gluten-free pizzas miss the mark on. 

Alcohol Pairings:

Beer: Pear Cider

Wine: Chenin Blanc

Yields: 1 large pizza (6-8 servings)

What you Need:

2 1/2 cups of boiled potatoes (5 medium potatoes)

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour

¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ cup butter

1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped red onion
3 sausages (in casings)
2 cups of chopped kale
1 cup of crumbled feta

How to Make it Happen:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Peel, quarter and cook potatoes until tender.
2. Drain potatoes in a strainer, cover and allow them to stand for 2-5 minutes.
3. Mash potatoes and incorporate butter, and parsley and set aside.
4. Combine the rice flours together with the salt and pepper, sifting the ingredients to allow for a light and airy crust. Fold these ingredients into the mashed potatoes to form a soft dough.
5. Refrigerate the potato dough for up to 1 hour to reduce elasticity.
6. Next, drizzle the olive oil and spread to all corners of the pizza pan to ensure the potato-dough cooks evenly. 
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and using your hands, press and spread the potato-dough to the outer edges of the baking tray, creating an even layer and foundation for your pizza crust. 

   

   Use your hands to press and spread the potato dough

8. Bake the crust in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or just until the edges are golden.

   

   Bake the potato crust until the edges are golden

9. While the crust is baking, saute the red onion & pepper together in a frying pan until the onion is translucent and the peppers tender. 
10. Remove the meat from the sausage casings into bite size pieces to ensure they cook evenly with the vegetables.  

    

    Remove the meat from the sausage casings into bite-size pieces

    
    
11. Remove the pizza crust from the oven and allow to cool as the sausage and vegetables continue to cook.
12. Place the onion, pepper & sausage filling on top of the pizza crust, drizzle with olive oil and continue to cook in the oven for 20-22 minutes in a 400 degree oven. In the last 8-10 minutes of baking, add the chopped kale and crumbled feta cheese and continue cooking until the kale is crispy and the cheese melted.