Lyonnaise Pizza

This recipe has got to be the ultimate comfort food.


Mrs Ribeye and I were on our way home from our summer holiday in Nice on the French Cote d'Azur and we decided to stop off in Reims for lunch before making our way towards the north coast, and the ferry home.

We had eaten the most repulsive lunch in Lyon a day or two earlier and were just starting to get over the 'tripe incident' when a lunch item on the menu in a beautiful pavement cafe caught my eye: Lyonnaise pizza. Could that mean cows entrails on bread? Is it a calzone filled with bull's testicles?

I dared not ask the waiter, but I was intrigued, so I ordered it without asking for any of the grizzly details (masochist? Moi?). Mrs Ribeye had played it safe by ordering spaghetti bolognese (wimp) but I had to be the big boy, didn't I.

Mrs Ribeye was presented with a steaming bowl of delicious pasta, and I was presented with this - an innocuous looking salami and cheese pizza. Or so I thought...

One slice into the pie was all it took to realise that you can't judge a pizza by its cover. The salami and cheese topping hid a bed of Lyonnaise potatoes over a pizza base. No tomato sauce. No herbs. No olive oil.

So, the Lyonnaise pizza is this: A thin stone-baked pizza base, covered in a layer of creamy garlicky potatoes, covered in cheddar (NOT mozzarella) cheese, covered in thick salami. What an invention. And... I LOVED IT!!!

This is an absolute abomination of a pizza and should not even be called a pizza - it is was it is : A hangover cure. Can you imagine how many calories are in this thing? Anyway, PLEASE make it. Just don't eat it for lunch.

This dish comes in just on budget at £5 for a large pizza, which is enough for two - meaning that you are under your Potless budget at £2.50 per serving. Bon appetit. Pass the Alka Seltzer.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 large potato, peeled and cut into 5mm thick slices
100ml double cream
Half an onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
Pinches of salt and pepper
Third of my bread dough recipe
Large handful of grated cheddar cheese
10 thick cut slices of salami

In a small pan, simmer the potatoes, onion and garlic in the double cream until cooked (20 minutes approx) and the sauce has thickened, then allow cool to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 220c. In the meantime, on an oiled baking tray, stretch the dough until it is of an even 1cm thickness. Spread the cooled potatoes over the base and top with the cheese. Arrange slices of salami over the top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for a minute or two before serving.