SMOKED TROUT, POTATO, AND FENNEL PIZZA

Smoked Trout, Potato, and Fennel Pizza image

I'm such a purist about some things-I think all food people are. Tell me you're putting beans and tomatoes in chili, and the Texas boy in me bristles. But when one of my friends, an Israeli man of Norwegian heritage, came to a pizza-tasting party and-before he sampled it, I should note-declared this pizza combination "wrong, just wrong," why did it irritate me so much? Well, I suppose it's because I'm neither Norwegian nor Italian, so I couldn't understand why something so delicious could be anything but right. This combination was inspired by a pizza that friends told me I had to try from Coppi's Organic in Washington, D.C. I've taken shameless liberties with it.

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1 small Yukon gold potato (about 4 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
1 (6-ounce) ball No-Knead Pizza Dough (page 104) or No-Knead Pizza Dough with Spelt (page 105)
2 tablespoons fresh whole-milk ricotta
2 ounces smoked trout, broken up into bite-size flakes
3 slices Herbed Lemon Confit (page 4) or substitute store-bought preserved lemon, coarsely chopped
1/4 small fennel bulb, cut into paper-thin slices (about 1/4 cup), plus a few fronds for garnish
1 tablespoon low-fat Greek-style yogurt, whisked until smooth

Steps:

If the dough has been refrigerated, transfer it to the countertop to let it rise for about 1 hour before making pizza.
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
In a large cast-iron skillet, toss the potato slices with the water, oil, salt, and pepper. Cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft but not browned. Transfer the potatoes to a plate.
Preheat the broiler with the rack set 5 inches from the element or flame. If you are using a cast-iron skillet or griddle pan for the pizza, set it over medium-high heat until it gets smoking hot, about 15 minutes. Transfer the skillet (turned upside down) or griddle pan to the broiler. If you are using a baking stone, heat it in a 500°F oven for an hour, then carefully transfer it to the broiler.
To shape the dough, dust a work surface liberally with flour and put the ball of dough on it. Sprinkle with flour and knead a few times until the dough comes together and holds its shape when you form it into a ball. Add more flour if necessary. Form it into an 8-inch round by pressing from the center out toward the edges, leaving a 1-inch border thicker than the rest.
Make sure you have all the topping ingredients measured out and ready before you assemble the pizza, because once you place the dough on the cooking surface you can't easily move it.
Open the oven or broiler door, quickly slide out the rack with the cooking surface (skillet, griddle pan, or baking stone) on it. Pick up the dough and quickly transfer it to the cooking surface, pressing it back into shape if need be, while being careful not to touch the cooking surface with your fingers.
Layer the potato rounds on top of the dough, leaving the 1-inch margin bare, and plop dabs of ricotta here and there. Broil the pizza for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the crust has puffed up around the edges and blackened in spots.
Remove the pizza with a wooden or metal peel or a thin square of cardboard and transfer it to a cutting board. Scatter the trout, lemon confit, and fennel slices and fronds on top. Let the pizza rest for a few minutes. Drizzle it with the yogurt, cut it into quarters, transfer to a plate, and eat.
Layer the potato rounds on top of the dough, leaving the 1-inch margin bare, and plop dabs of ricotta here and there. Broil the pizza for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the crust has puffed up around the edges and blackened in spots.
Remove the pizza with a wooden or metal peel or a thin square of cardboard and transfer it to a cutting board. Scatter the trout, lemon confit, and fennel slices and fronds on top. Let the pizza rest for a few minutes. Drizzle it with the yogurt, cut it into quarters, transfer to a plate, and eat.