Caramelized Onions, Potato & Gruyère Pizza

FoodTV is a BAD channel for a foodie like me! I don't remember if it was Rachel Ray or Giada from FoodTV that used potato and Gruyere in a Shepard's pie recipe. It looked soo cheesy and smooth, I was dreaming about it for a while. Yes, I dream about food and No, it is not unusual. Hmm

For dinner I made a white pizza with caramelized onions, sliced potatoes, roasted red peppers and Gruyere. Its a fool proof combinations of flavors. Sweetness of the roasted red pepper, crunchy texture of the onions, velvety potatoes and the cheese..ahhh. Gruyere has this nutty almost hazelnut like flavor that brings the dish together. I keep caramelized onions in my fridge all the time, its a great ingredient to jazz up rice and curries to make them extra special. A jar of roasted red peppers was bought on whim. A hunk of aromatic Gruyere was sitting in the fridge for few days. As if the stars were aligned, I actually had all my dream ingredients in the fridge...wooohooo. Save for the pizza dough, I had to schlep to the grocery store on the way back home.

The base sauce is basic Béchamel with grated Gruyere. Don't worry if there are any lumps in the sauce, after all we are going to slather it on the pizza dough. When the cheese melts it will be a thicker sauce that will stay on the dough. No runny mess. I highly suggest that potatoes are sliced really THIN. I added marinated jalapenos to add some tartness and spice. But its completely optional. Other flavors to consider, crushed garlic and mushrooms. Yummmm

Caramelized Onions, Potato & Gruyère Pizza

Sauce:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of grated Gruyere

Salt

Heavy dose of fresh ground pepper

Pizza dough ( From Publix)

Toppings:

1/2 cup of grated Gruyere

1 medium potato sliced thin

1/2 cup of chopped roasted red pepper

1 cup of caramelized onions

5-6 slices of marinated jalapenos ( or more if you like it spicy)

Method:

Preheat the oven to highest temperature.

Sauce:

Melt butter in a pan and add flour. Roast for few minutes. Since the roux is for a white sauce, do not let the mixture change color. Add milk and stir. Add salt and pepper. Once the sauce starts to bubble add grated Gruyere cheese. Mix thoroughly and let it sit. Simple!

Pizza:

Spread the pizza dough in a greased baking sheet. Slather the sauce. Layer potatoes, red peppers. caramelized onions and jalapenos. Top with grated cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes.