Recipe taken from Thursday Night Pizza
Ingredients:
- 2 medium red beets
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (14 to 16-ounce) ball Basic Pizza Dough (or pre-made pizza dough)
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon (or basil, or fennel fronds)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prep the toppings: Scrub the beets and place them on a piece of aluminum foil, along with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil, and wrap up the beets and garlic in the foil, making a sealed packet. Transfer the packet to the oven and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beets are fork tender. Remove the packet from the oven, open it carefully, and let them cool slightly, then peel the beets and squeeze the garlic into a small bowl. Increase the oven temperature to 500°F (or the highest temperature your oven will allow, if using a pizza stone/steel). Mash the garlic with a fork, then stir in 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin oil. Peel the beets and slice them thinly.
- Stretch out the dough: Place the dough on a clean work surface and, using your hands, gently stretch it into a 12-inch square or disk, making sure that it retains the same thickness throughout (more or less). If you’re using a pizza stone or steel: Dust a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet with flour or cornmeal. Place the dough disk on the prepared peel. If you’re using a baking sheet: Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the dough disk on the prepared baking sheet.
- To bake the pizza: If you’re using a pizza stone or steel, 10 minutes before you are ready to cook the pizza, increase the oven heat to broil. Slide the pizza from the peel (or inverted baking sheet) to the hot stone or steel using quick shimmying movements. Broil the pizza for 6 to 8 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese begins to brown in spots. Using the peel or inverted baking sheet, transfer the cooked pizza to a cutting board. If you are making more than one pizza, allow the pizza stone or steel to reheat under the broiler for 5 minutes before you cook the next one. If you’re using a baking sheet, do not increase the oven to broil. Place the baking sheet on the rack in the middle of the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese begins to brown in spots.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle on the minced tarragon; slice and serve.