Baked Potato Pizza

You know how it isn't until you move away from a place that you appreciate some of the little things?

Well, that is not the story regarding this pizza. From the first time I tried the loaded baked potato pizza at Satisfaction's in Durham, I knew they had created something special. I mean, who thinks of putting potatoes on a pizza? Top it with cheddar cheese and bacon and you've got a great idea. Drizzle it with their "famous sat sauce" and it is DIVINE. Of course reproducing this at home was a must now that I no longer frequent Satis for Duke games and big beer Thursdays. There were a few key points for success with this dish. First, I needed to mimic the "famous sat sauce"; we always joked that it was just watered down ranch dressing and although that may be the case, watered down Kraft was just not cutting it. So I added some sour cream, milk, garlic, olive oil, and chives to the ranch and found what I was looking for. The second important part is to premix your cooked potato with some of the sauce. Let the flavors meld for a little bit and they will permeate the potato and enhance the overall flavor. Of course, you're going to want to drizzle the pizza with a lot more of the sauce and top it will bacon and cheddar cheese. I added some mozzarella to the mix as well and a little bit of red onion for pop. I think I paid appropriate homage to Satis.

For those of you who have moved away from Durham, I give you back something you are probably missing. For those of you who have never been to Durham, prepare to have your life revolutionized. You are welcome!

Baked Potato Pizza (inspired by Satisfaction's)
Ingredients (for individual size):
1/5 pizza dough, thawed (or 1/3-1/2 store bought pizza dough)
1 small red potato
2 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and chopped or crumbled
1 tbsp sliced red onion
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (either yellow or white)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 tbsp sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp ranch dressing
1 1/2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried chives (or 1 tbsp fresh chopped chives)

Directions: 
Place a baking stone or baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 500 F. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for approximately 15 minutes.

Whisk together the sour cream, ranch dressing, milk and olive oil. Stir in the garlic powder and chives. Set aside.

Poke the potato a few times with a fork and place in a microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Let cool slightly and then peel and chop into bite sized pieces. Toss the chopped potato with approximately 2 tbsp of the ranch mixture. Let sit until you are ready to assemble the pizza.

Pull and/or roll out the pizza dough until it is a circle of about 8-10 inch diameter. Spread the potato mixture on the dough. Drizzle with the remaining ranch sauce. Top with red onion, cheeses and bacon crumbles. Transfer to the heated baking stone or sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is hot and the crust is cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Serves 1.