Name: Potato focaccia with four yummy toppings
Prep time: 120 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: serves 6 people
Ingredients: 250 g potatoes, cooked and peeled; 800 g all-purpose flour; 13 g sea salt; 7 g active dry yeast; 100 ml olive oil; 1 handful of cherry tomatoes; 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked; 10 cloves garlic, peeled; 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked; 6 anchovy fillets; 2 tbsp capers, rinsed if salty; 1 tbsp corn kernals; 1 bunch fresh oregano, leaves picked; 1 tbsp artichoke antipasto in oil; 1 bunch fresh sage, leaves picked; 100 g mozzarella cheese

Potato focaccia with four yummy toppings

The first time I ate focaccia was more than 6 years ago in Milano, Italy. I remember going to a concert with a friend and we still had some time left before the concert so of course we decided to go explore all the yummy foods in Milano. Obviously making only one food decision in Italy is not as easy as it sounds. There are just too many good looking dishes to choose from. But I made the right choice (if there even were any wrong choices). There were many yummy toppings to choose from, but to me, the one with onion and rosemary topping was the most appealing. Guys, it was sooooo good. I actually thought focaccia was just a thick pizza dough with different toppings, but it's totally not true. Focaccia deserves a lot more attention than it gets. So inspired by beautiful Milano and incredible Italian dishes, here are our versions of a simple potato focaccia with four different toppings.

Ingredients

focaccia dough

250 g potatoes, cooked and peeled

800 g all-purpose flour

13 g sea salt

7 g active dry yeast

100 ml olive oil

Tomato and basil topping

1 handful of cherry tomatoes

1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked

Garlic and rosemary topping

10 cloves garlic, peeled

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked

anchovies and capers topping

6 anchovy fillets

2 tbsp capers, rinsed if salty

1 tbsp corn kernals

1 bunch fresh oregano, leaves picked

1 tbsp artichoke antipasto in oil

Sage and mozzarella topping

1 bunch fresh sage, leaves picked

100 g mozzarella cheese

Tools and equipment

bowl

stand mixer (optional)

tea towel

large baking tray

parchment paper

METHOD

dough

In a bowl crush the cooked potatoes using a fork. Add 600g / 21 oz. of water and stir well. In a separate, large bowl combine the flour with sea salt and active dry yeast, also add the mashed potatoes with water. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
dough

Knead the dough in a bowl for about 5 - 10 minutes. The dough will be very wet, so if you have an option, better knead it in a mixer. Try to avoid adding any flour, as the dough should be wet and soft. It's not necessary for the dough to form any shape, it's only important to knead it well. Cover the mixing bowl with a tea towel and leave to rest at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Tip

You can also leave the dough to proof overnight in fridge.
proof

Line a large baking tray with parchment paper, then drizzle with olive oil. Oil the sides as well. Preheat the oven to 230˚C / 445˚F. Transfer the dough to the baking tray. Using your fingers, make deep dimples in your focaccia, pushing them all the way through the dough to the bottom. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
toppings

Meanwhile prepare the ingredients for the toppings. Divide the toppings over each quarter of the dough. For the tomato & basil option, arrange the halved cherry tomatoes over the dough. For the garlic & rosemary option, arrange rosemary leaves and peeled cloves of garlic over the dough. For the anchovies & capers option, arrange the anchovies and capers over the dough. For the sage and mozzarella option, break up the mozzarella over the remaining of the focaccia.
bake and serve

Place the focaccia in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 230˚C / 445˚F, then lower the heat and bake for another 15 minutes at 210˚C / 410˚F. Remove from the oven and let it cool before cutting. Also add fresh basil leaves over the tomato topping. And add corn, artichokes and fresh oregano leaves over the anchovies and capers topping. Enjoy.

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Potato focaccia with four yummy toppings