Pizza Lucé Baked Potato Pizza

Most residents of the Twin Cities area are well familiar with Pizza Luce. Having grown up there, I regretfully only ate there for the first time a few years ago, just in time for me to move to Missouri and be one more thing to be homesick about.

For those of you not from the Twin Cities (sorry to hear that), Pizza Lucé is known for its innovative and award winning gourmet pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts, many of which are available in vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free options. My favorite by far is their Baked Potato Pizza, which uses mashed potatoes in place of sauce and is topped with cheese, tomato, broccoli, bacon, and sour cream for dipping.

Since I didn't get to visit Minnesota for Christmas, I've had a serious craving for it. So I decided to try to make my own. Here's how I did it:


Ingredients:
Pizza crust - pre-made or homemade
1 1/2 - 2 cups mashed potatoes - I used the instant kind, but feel free to mash them yourselves if you really want to
2 cups of cheese - cheddar is best, but it can be any kind. I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar
2 or 3 strips of crispy bacon
1 head of broccoli
1 roma tomato
Sour cream for topping

Directions:
While the oven is preheating to 425 degrees (or whatever the temperature is in the directions on your crust) and the water for the mashed potatoes is boiling, chop the tomato and broccoli.

If you're using the same mashed potatoes I did, you need 1 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 cup of milk, and 2 Tbsp of butter. Combine into a 2qt saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the potato mix. It should be ready after a minute or so.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the crust like a sauce.

It can be tricky because it's so thick, but make sure it's spread evenly to the edges of the crust.

Sprinkle on the cheese. This can also be done after the other toppings, which I believe is what Pizza Lucé does.

Add your tomato and broccoli

Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it all over

Bake 8-12 minutes at 425 (or whatever the instructions are on your crust), or until cheese is melted.

Cover in sour cream, and try not to wake the neighbors by screaming "OMG THAT'S SO GOOD!"

Ingredients:
Pizza crust of your choice
1 1/2-2 cups mashed potatoes - mashed yourself or prepared as directed on package
2 cups cheese
1 tomato (chopped)
1 head of broccoli (chopped)
2-3 strips crispy bacon
Sour cream for dipping

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or as directed on package). Chop tomato and broccoli. Cook mashed potatoes as directed or mash them yourself. Cook bacon to be extra crispy.
2. Spread mashed potatoes evenly across crust. Evenly top with cheese, tomato, broccoli, and bacon.
3. Cook 8-12 minutes (or as directed on package), or until cheese is melted