Sweet Potato Pizza

I returned from a week in San Francisco and noticed the leaves have departed Manhattan’s bony trees. A lazy walk through Fort Tryon Park confirmed that the seasons have officially clicked. The late autumn air is rich and vivid and the colors remind me of sweet potatoes. Bring on the carbohydrates!

Sweet Potato Pizza
Serves 4 and costs about $10

1 pizza dough, defrosted
1 sweet potato, scrubbed but not peeled
1-2 cups of pesto (my recipe below)
1 ½ cups of Parmesan cheese, grated
1 bunch of beet greens
Olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough and place on pizza pan, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 5 minutes. Slice the sweet potato into thin rounds, place in a bowl, and mix with a tablespoon of olive oil and a few dashes of salt.

Remove pizza from oven and smooth pesto over crust. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over pesto, and then layer the sweet potato. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven and cook for 10-12 minutes more.

Meanwhile, wash and chop beet greens, discarding the thick stems. Add to a pot of boiling water and cook for a few minutes. Drain and towel dry, and add to pizza. Return pan to oven and cook for five minutes, until beet greens start to crisp.

 
Third attempt at spreading the dough.

Choose a sweet potato that is long and lean.

Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan.

Earthy Pesto
Makes about 4 cups and costs about $4

½ cup of pine nuts or walnuts
6 cloves of garlic
6 cups of fresh basil, parsley, and/or kale (try mixing them as well)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½-2 cups of olive oil

Place pine nuts and garlic in food processor and pulse until well mixed. Add basil (or parsley, etc.) and seasonings to taste. With blade running, slowly add olive oil until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Refrigerate or freeze.

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