Mashed Potato Pie

Make or purchase from a pizza place your pizza dough.

Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water for 20 minutes or until tender and ready to mash. Depending on the size, if you use large potatoes, this could take up to 30-35 minutes. When done, drain the potatoes.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook your bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. When done remove it from the skillet onto a paper towel lined plate and allow it to cool. When the bacon cools, crumble and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a lightly greased round baking dish, pie or cake pan (6-8 inches in diameter, no more than 2 inches deep) spread the pizza dough evenly going up the sides of the dish at least halfway.

Mash your potatoes with a potato masher (or hand held mixer … kids seem to like both ways) while adding in your butter, milk, salt and pepper. Make sure your potatoes are not runny, you need them to hold up after slicing the pie. The amount of milk added will vary by the size of potatoes you use. Think rich and flavorful potatoes. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of the cheese and half of your bacon crumbles.

Spread mashed potatoes over the dough, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bacon and bake for 20 minutes at 375 F. Remove it from the oven and set the dish on a wire rack. Allow the pie to rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve. Garnish with chives and sour cream, if desired.

Notes:
– Often I double the recipe and make a deeper pie. If you are using chives or scallions, top the pie with them after you remove it from the oven. Serve with sour cream (or drizzle the pie with sour cream for a pretty presentation).
– You may have extra dough if making the above recipe. If so, save it and make stuffed pizza balls. The kids seem to love those! Just stuff small circles of dough with pepperoni and mozzarella, seal them up and bake them on parchment until golden. Then dip in pizza sauce.

Enjoy!