Potato and Leek Focaccia

Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread, which is related to pizza, but not considered to be the same. Focaccia is usually seasoned with olive oil and sometimes herbs, and may be topped with onion, cheese and meat, or a number of vegetables. However, by far the most typical focaccia is simply baked dough topped with olive oil and a simple herb like rosemary or sage, and salted with coarse salt.

My sister S. sent me a photo and recipe for a potato-leek focaccia some time ago. I misplaced the recipe but have replaced it here with what I think is a reasonable facsimile. In this case, I thawed a bag of frozen pizza dough and rolled it on to a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. I brushed the top with olive oil and spread thinly cut leeks across the surface, then added a layer of sliced par-boiled potatoes. (Par-boiled simply means partly boiled.) I ground pepper and salt on top of the potatoes and covered the whole thing with a sharp cheddar cheese, then baked it in the oven at 500 Degrees F. until brown and bubbly.

Ingredients:

- 1 bag of frozen pizza dough (from the grocery store)
- 1 leek thinly sliced ( only the white and light green parts)
- 2 thin-skinned potatoes, par-boiled and sliced
- 1 cup of grated cheese
- freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
- a bit of cornmeal if you have it
- olive oil