Smashed Potato Pizza with Pepperoni and Mozzarella

It's a slightly different route away from the popular individual smashed potato pizza, but more like a "conglomerate" version of it. What binds these potatoes together are the melted cheese on top. You can be creative with the toppings, but the classic pepperoni paired with marinara sauce and red chili flakes never disappoints. 

Smashed potato pizza with pepperoni and mozzarella - 

Ingredients?

• 10 medium small potatoes
• 10 to 12 slices pepperoni
• 1 pack/at least 150 grams shredded mozzarella
• Some marinara sauce
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some red chili flakes

How?

Prepare a medium/large pot of water and add in the potatoes. 

Just like cooking pasta, we need to add few pinches of salt here too. Bring the pot to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage. Cook till the potatoes are fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Drain and pat dry. Set aside till cool enough to handle by hand.

Preheat the oven to 395 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Score the potatoes with a criss-cross pattern, which will make them easier to smash shortly. Transfer these potatoes to the baking sheet. Perhaps place a small sheet of parchment on top of the potato then grab a flat bottom glass to smash it down. The parchment paper acts as a barrier preventing the smashed potatoes sticking onto the glass.

Repeat till all the potatoes have been smashed. Arrange the smashed potatoes to one big rectangular shape, like a Detroit-style pizza. Even though the melted cheese will bind the potatoes together, but still make sure there're no gaps in between.

Brush the potato surface with olive oil and sprinkle some salt all over. Into the oven for 20~25 minutes, or till the edges turn golden brown. Mine took about 20 minutes.

Take out the baking sheet. Spoon enough marinara sauce over the smashed potatoes. I used sweet basil flavored pasta sauce, you can pick whichever red sauce variety of your liking here. Sprinkle generous amount of shredded mozzarella then evenly arrange pepperoni slices on top.

Back to the oven and bake till the cheese melts, perhaps slightly burnt on the edge of some pepperoni slices. 

Once ready, remove from heat and sprinkle some red chili flakes. Tabasco sauce should work wonders here too.

Some like the edge with crispier potato skin, I on the other hand prefer the center with extra soft potatoes and oozing cheese. 

Like that.

You can make ahead and store them in the fridge or even in the freezer. Just pop the whole thing in the oven and slowly heat it up when the need arises. Perhaps serve alongside with some salad greens to make it a more balanced meal.