Potato, rasher and rosemary pizza

Inspired by a pizza I sampled at a food festival in Donegal, this recipe features some of my favourite local ingredients: Crowe’s Farm streaky rashers and Ardsallagh Goat’s Cheese, along with truffle oil, minced garlic, and fresh rosemary from our front yard. It doesn’t have a tomato sauce, but is just as delicious with passata and toppings of your choice, if you prefer.

Method: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Stir in the water, and then the olive oil. Mix until you have a soft dough.

Gather the dough into a ball and turn onto a lightly-floured work surface. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes, or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook for five minutes, until the dough feels silky and springy. Place in another bowl and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about one to two hours.

Half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 250 degrees C/gas 9. Preheat a pizza stone or heavy baking tray in the oven.

Divide the dough into six to eight equal parts. (While working with one section, cover the remainder with plastic wrap or a tea towel so it doesn’t dry out.) Working on a lightly-floured board, roll out each ball of dough until very thin, and place each on a square of parchment paper. Prick the dough several times with a fork and brush lightly with olive oil.

Top each pizza with bacon, potato, garlic and rosemary. Using a light hand, drizzle a little truffle oil over the top and sprinkle the fennel seeds. Slide the pizzas on the parchment paper onto the pizza stone, and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Slide each pizza out of the oven onto a board. Serve immediately with a tossed green salad and a glass of bold red wine.