Introduction: The Perfect Brunch Pizza
The purpose of this Instructable is to outline how to make the perfect brunch meal.
Brunch Pizza.
Imagine: All the toppings that make breakfast so great (eggs, sausage, bacon), or lunch so great (chicken, sausage, salad), or a combination of both on top of a tomato sauce covered hash brown crust.
The beauty of this dish is its simplicity and its versatility; your Brunch Pizza can be as sophisticated or as dirty as your imagination.
Examples
Problem 1: Girlfriend's mother coming by for a morning nosh.
Solution 1: Brunch Pizza topped with sunny-side eggs, thin sliced prosciutto, fresh arugula, parmigiano reggiano shavings, and drizzled truffle oil (see picture)
Problem 2: Pounding, throbbing headache, dry mouth, and soreness from tying a few too many on the night before.
Solution 2: Ask the missus to kindly make (for your sorry butt) a Brunch Pizza topped with tomato sauce, sauteed onions and peppers, itallian sausage, grated cheddar cheese, and a fried egg.
Piqued your imagination yet?
Then click ahead to get the basics/tips.
Brunch Pizza.
Imagine: All the toppings that make breakfast so great (eggs, sausage, bacon), or lunch so great (chicken, sausage, salad), or a combination of both on top of a tomato sauce covered hash brown crust.
The beauty of this dish is its simplicity and its versatility; your Brunch Pizza can be as sophisticated or as dirty as your imagination.
Examples
Problem 1: Girlfriend's mother coming by for a morning nosh.
Solution 1: Brunch Pizza topped with sunny-side eggs, thin sliced prosciutto, fresh arugula, parmigiano reggiano shavings, and drizzled truffle oil (see picture)
Problem 2: Pounding, throbbing headache, dry mouth, and soreness from tying a few too many on the night before.
Solution 2: Ask the missus to kindly make (for your sorry butt) a Brunch Pizza topped with tomato sauce, sauteed onions and peppers, itallian sausage, grated cheddar cheese, and a fried egg.
Piqued your imagination yet?
Then click ahead to get the basics/tips.
Step 1: Ingredients
The Base:
4 small-medium potatoes grated
1/2 cu Your favorite tomato sauce
1 egg, beaten (optional)
salt and pepper
Hardware:
Well seasoned cast-iron skillet
Box grater
Plate (that fits over your skillet)
Spatula
Bowl
Toppings:
Again, its best if you use your imagination here.
For my creation, I used:
2 eggs
Parmigiano reggiano
Slices of prosciutto
Handful of arugula
4 small-medium potatoes grated
1/2 cu Your favorite tomato sauce
1 egg, beaten (optional)
salt and pepper
Hardware:
Well seasoned cast-iron skillet
Box grater
Plate (that fits over your skillet)
Spatula
Bowl
Toppings:
Again, its best if you use your imagination here.
For my creation, I used:
2 eggs
Parmigiano reggiano
Slices of prosciutto
Handful of arugula
Step 2: Making the Hash Brown Crust
The first step to Brunch Pizza glory is to make up the hash brown crust.
Grate the potatoes using the box grater (Picture 1) and wash under cold water 2 - 3 times (Picture 2).
The point of this step is to rinse off the excess starch so that the potatoes can fry up nice and crisp.
Strain all excess water and proceed to frying.
Heat oil over medium high heat in your well seasoned cast iron skillet.
Once the oil is shimmering add in the grated potatoes (Picture 3).
Evenly distribute the potatoes around the surface of the pan and use a spatula to flatten the surface.
Grate the potatoes using the box grater (Picture 1) and wash under cold water 2 - 3 times (Picture 2).
The point of this step is to rinse off the excess starch so that the potatoes can fry up nice and crisp.
Strain all excess water and proceed to frying.
Heat oil over medium high heat in your well seasoned cast iron skillet.
Once the oil is shimmering add in the grated potatoes (Picture 3).
Evenly distribute the potatoes around the surface of the pan and use a spatula to flatten the surface.
Step 3: Flipping the Crust
Once the bottom has browned (approx. 5 - 8 min) the next step will be to flip the crust over and brown the other side.
This is where having a well seasoned pan becomes critical.
The starch in the potatoes have a propensity to stick at high heat and if your pan is not well lubed then you won't be able to slide your crust out easily/in one piece (Picture 1).
If you do have a well lubed pan then this next step should be a breeze. If you want to just flip the crust over with a flick of the wrist then go right ahead. I find that with the high sides of my pan this technique becomes impossible.
I figured the best way to deal with this problem is the following:
Use your spatula to get under the edges and work your way toward the center making sure that no crust is sticking to the pan (Picture 2).
Place a plate that fits over the top of the skillet (Picture 3).
Flip the whole thing over (be careful because it's hot!) and slide the crust back into the pan (Picture 4).
Now you can just press the crust back into a nice shape.
Salt the crust slightly.
At this point you can make a choice. If you feel as if your crust is not going to stay intact for easy removal then you can beat an egg with some water and pour this all over and into the potatoes. The idea here is that the egg will cook up and bind everything together. This part is optional.
This is where having a well seasoned pan becomes critical.
The starch in the potatoes have a propensity to stick at high heat and if your pan is not well lubed then you won't be able to slide your crust out easily/in one piece (Picture 1).
If you do have a well lubed pan then this next step should be a breeze. If you want to just flip the crust over with a flick of the wrist then go right ahead. I find that with the high sides of my pan this technique becomes impossible.
I figured the best way to deal with this problem is the following:
Use your spatula to get under the edges and work your way toward the center making sure that no crust is sticking to the pan (Picture 2).
Place a plate that fits over the top of the skillet (Picture 3).
Flip the whole thing over (be careful because it's hot!) and slide the crust back into the pan (Picture 4).
Now you can just press the crust back into a nice shape.
Salt the crust slightly.
At this point you can make a choice. If you feel as if your crust is not going to stay intact for easy removal then you can beat an egg with some water and pour this all over and into the potatoes. The idea here is that the egg will cook up and bind everything together. This part is optional.
Step 4: Start the Toppings
Now that the crust is taken care of, it's time to concern ourselves with the toppings.
I spooned on my tomato sauce, which was just crushed fresh tomatoes, oregano, and minced garlic (Picture 1).
Next I grated some parmigiano reggiano, why not (Picture 2).
Then I cracked a couple eggs on top (Picture 3) and tossed the whole thing under the broiler until the eggs set (Picture 4).
I spooned on my tomato sauce, which was just crushed fresh tomatoes, oregano, and minced garlic (Picture 1).
Next I grated some parmigiano reggiano, why not (Picture 2).
Then I cracked a couple eggs on top (Picture 3) and tossed the whole thing under the broiler until the eggs set (Picture 4).
Step 5: Time to Dress and Plate
After the eggs have set dress the pizza how you want.
On my Brunch Pizza I laid some slices of prosciutto, fresh arugula, parmigiano reggiano shavings, oil, salt and pepper.
Awesome.
Again, the beauty of this dish is the simplicity and opportunity for customization (like any good pizza).
Ideas:
English breakfast Pizza
Tex-Mex Pizza
Nicoise salad Pizza
Club Sandwich Pizza
Smoked meat and Poutine Pizza
Use sweet potato in the crust, or celery root
etc...
Thanks for looking and happy brunching!
On my Brunch Pizza I laid some slices of prosciutto, fresh arugula, parmigiano reggiano shavings, oil, salt and pepper.
Awesome.
Again, the beauty of this dish is the simplicity and opportunity for customization (like any good pizza).
Ideas:
English breakfast Pizza
Tex-Mex Pizza
Nicoise salad Pizza
Club Sandwich Pizza
Smoked meat and Poutine Pizza
Use sweet potato in the crust, or celery root
etc...
Thanks for looking and happy brunching!