Presenting the Röstizza: A Potato Rösti Pizza Base

PARTNEREDPOSTPotatoes have been getting a bit of a bad rap lately. The last couple of decades have witnessed a vilification of carbs; the noughties in particular saw a surge in uptake of diets advocating a severe reduction of carb intake. Even for those not following a low-carb diet, potatoes often lose out to pasta and rice, perceived as quicker and easier options.

But actually, potatoes are a versatile and very healthy ingredient – they’re inexpensive, 100% natural and unprocessed; they are low in fat and sugar and an excellent source of fibre and potassium; and they store very well – when we’ve had a particularly generous crop of home grown, we’ve been able to enjoy them for several months after harvesting by keeping them in a cool, dark cupboard.

Of course, they are also available to buy throughout the year – whether you shop at your local supermarket, independent grocer’s or food market. I like to buy by variety, experimenting to make up my own mind – do King Edwards or Maris Pipers make the best roasties? Are Charlottes or Red Duke of Yorks best for potato salad?

These days most retailers also label potatoes to indicate whether they are suitable for baking, boiling, mashing, frying and so on – the rule of thumb is that waxy varieties and new potatoes are great for potato salads because they hold their shape and texture well when boiled. Fluffier varieties are best for baking and roasting, and make fabulous chips. There are also many potatoes that can be considered good all-rounder varieties; find out more from the AHDB’s Potato Variety Database.

But the question remains – can you create a quick and delicious weekday supper using potatoes in the same time as it might take you to rustle up a pasta dinner or stir fried rice?

Of course, the answer is yes!

Rostizza - Potato Rosti Pizza Base on Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle (4)

We were challenged to create and share a new potato recipe, something quick, easy and suitable for a weekday lunch or dinner and a little adventurous and different to boot. I hope you’ll agree that our Röstizza – using a potato rösti as a gluten free pizza base – is just that!

Rostizza - Potato Rosti Pizza Base on Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle (2)

5 from 1 vote

The Röstizza: Potato Rösti Pizza Base

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  • 400 g potatoes
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 20 g unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp finely grated parmesan
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 75 g grated mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tbsp pizza sauce
  • Optional: Very thinly sliced salami or chorizo sausage or other toppings of your choice

Equipment

  • 28cm frying pan
  • electric or gas hob
  • grill

Recipe Notes

We use a food processor to grate the potatoes and buy ready-grated mozzarella cheese for this recipe. Add a little more prep time if you grate both by hand.

Instructions

  • Peel and grate the potatoes. 

  • Microwave the grated potatoes in a bowl for approximately 1 minute on full power, until piping hot. 

  • In the meantime, heat butter and oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. 

  • Retrieve grated potatoes from the microwave, add grated parmesan and salt and mix thoroughly. 

  • Add potato mixture to the pan, toss briefly to coat well in butter and oil, then spread out to create a flat and even rösti, pressing down firmly. 

  • Fry the rösti pizza base for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown beneath, checking by lifting an edge very carefully with a spatula towards the end of the cooking time. The time will vary depending on your frying pan and the exact level of heat. 

  • Once the bottom edge is golden brown, use two plates to help flip the rösti over: Place the first plate upside down over the pan, use oven gloves to grip both plate and pan firmly together and flip over to transfer the rösti onto the plate

  • Now use a second plate to flip the rösti over again. Pour out any remaining oil from the pan if need be, before placing it upside down over the second plate, and flipping both over one last time. The rösti should now be upside down within the frying pan. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds, and much less risky than trying to flip the fragile rösti directly in the pan. 

  • Preheat the grill to high. 

  • Turn the heat on the hob up to high and add the toppings over the golden brown surface. First spread the pizza sauce, then the grated cheddar and then add any additional toppings such as salami slices, mushrooms or other vegetables. This should take no more than 4-5 minutes, allowing the second side of the rösti to crisp up. 

  • Transfer the pan to the grill for about 2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to colour. 

  • Serve immediately. 

Rostizza - Potato Rosti Pizza Base on Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle (1)

Rostizza - Potato Rosti Pizza Base on Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle (3)

As you can imagine, it’s easy to ring the changes by switching what you put on top.

Try pesto instead of a tomato-based pizza sauce or skip the sauce entirely for a pizza bianco.

Use a mixture of cheeses to create your own quattro formaggi (four cheeses).

As for toppings, you could opt for ham and cheese, pepperoni and jalapeno or a wonderful vegetarian medley of mushrooms, onions or peppers.

For more quick and easy potato recipes, check out:

This recipe was commissioned by Love Potatoes, as part of their ‘Potatoes: More than a bit on the side’ campaign. Visit their website for more great potato recipes and detailed nutritional information.

Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!
53 Comments to "Presenting the Röstizza: A Potato Rösti Pizza Base"

  1. Urvashi

    Great idea and what a great name! I had something similar in Aachen when I visited the Christmas markets one time. It was delicious such a great way to move away from a traditional pizza base. Thanks for linking to my Gujarati shak.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I was so chuffed when the idea came to my head, but of course, I should have known it had all been done before! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Snigdha (Snig of Snig's Kitchen)

    Dear Kavey

    What a brilliantly original recipe! Fantastic work!

    Not only is it original, it’s a lifesaving simple weekday supper.

    Personally, I never met a carbohydrate I didn’t like. The demonisation of carbs is such nonsense. Obviously, you shouldn’t only eat carbs and nothing else. But the message should be one of BALANCE!

    Another fab post, Kavey.

    with love
    Snigdha

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Thanks Snig! We came up with the idea ourselves but have since discovered that potato pizza bases are not uncommon. Most seem to be mashed potato bases, and some include egg and flour, like a regular dough. But even the rosti version has been done. I guess there’s nothing new under the sun! But it was new to us when we thought of it, so I’m still delighted!

    Reply
  3. kaveyeats

    I hope she enjoys it… the texture is, of course, different from a dough base but we really like it!

    Reply
  4. Zoe Perrett

    Does it taste as good as you’ve made it look? I am a dough nut but I reckon I could be convinced to swap a pizza base ‘proppa’ for this… 🙂

    Reply
  5. kaveyeats

    Same here, but this just came to mind suddenly, so funny! We love impromptu flatbread pizzas too!

    Reply
  6. nazima

    lovely idea – we often make Rosti as a base for meat or cooked vegetables but love the idea of topping with Pizza components!

    Reply
    Ali

    I saw a post on twitter and this immediately became that nights dinner as we had all of the ingredients. Perfect for a midweek meal. Easy, quick and filling! I see a number of variations in my future. Ajvar and feta with chorizo probably up next!

    Reply
  7. kaveyeats

    Thank you Helen, that’s so kind, makes me feel very happy to inspire a good meal!

    Reply
  8. Ema

    I will definitely be trying this out. Getting tired of making cauliflower pizza for my coeliac hubbie. Rosti sounds much nicer thankyou Kavey.

    Reply
  9. Janice

    That’s a great idea, rosti is such a fab thing whe it’s all crispy round the edges and soft in the middle. You could top it with all sorts and it would be different every time.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes indeed, hoping the suggestions at the end will get everyone’s ideas flowing! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  10. kaveyeats

    Yes, we did the same recipe without microwave but had the rösti on for longer and on lower heat to cook through. We love our microwave for little tasks like this!

    Reply
  11. Trudy

    Go to Switzerland and you will find this being served in the major ski resorts as an outdoor cooked takeaway, as they have been doing for many years.

    Trudy

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Ah well, proves there’s nothing new under the sun. I’d never seen it so it was original for me!

    Reply
  12. Mamta Gupta

    Very interesting! You should have done this before. Your GM, pops mum, did not like pizza, but loved potatoes. I am sure she would have loved a meat free version of it!

    Reply
  13. Helen Bach

    good idea, but factually incorrect. Potatoes are high on the Glycemic Index, meaning loads of carbs (starch). If you really want to be inventive and stay healthy, try to make the base from chickpea (besan) flour.

    Reply
    Kavey

    If you read the post you’ll see I certainly don’t claim that potatoes are low in carbs! I talk about what they are rich in and suggest that carbs are not the evil that some diets like to make them out to be. Certainly one can make great recipes with chickpea flour but potatoes are a perfectly healthy ingredient in a varied diet. This is also a recipe for someone who needs to avoid gluten – I have two coeliac friends who do so not out of any faddy diet but because they are genuinely intolerant.

    Reply

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