Potato pizza….to some people this may sound a little bit strange. I mean, potatoes are meant to be mashed, fried, roasted, and baked…but on pizza? When we arrived at Five Points, I already new we would be ordering this dish (on my quest to eat everything in New York featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, this was next on the list!) Five Points has such a nice atmosphere and the menu had so many items that sounded very tasty. But I felt it was my duty to order this pizza….so that’s what we did.
Pizza topped with potato, truffle oil, and fontina
And it did not disappoint. Salty, chewy crust, perfectly cooked thinly sliced potatoes, topped with fontina cheese and truffle oil it was very good. A little on the greasy side though and Adam and I both agreed it was missing something sweet…maybe some thinly shaved pear mixed in with the potato? But don’t get me wrong…it was still very tasty and there was not a slice left. They actually also have another pizza with pear and blue cheese and other sort of delicious toppings like this that I’m sure would be delicious on this crust. I also had amazing scallops (sorry no photo), seared perfectly over a bed of pureed and creamy cauliflower and topped with a fennel and honey crisp apple relish…The dish was calling my name when I saw this description on the menu and it exceeded by expectations. Five Points….we give you Five Stars!
Sunday afternoons in this household are for one thing…football watching! Now, I do not enjoy watching football in the slightest, but I do enjoy football food and spending time with my husband. So, after a not so amazing 16 mile training run (do not eat greasy pizza and drink too much wine the night before a long run…lesson learned!) I decided to cook up some healthified and veggiefied (yes, those are real words) traditional football eats.
Veggie nachos wth the works!
For these nachos, I made my own corn chips by cutting corn tortillas into triangles, spraying with olive oil and sprinkling with salt, and baking at 400 for about 8 minutes. A good substitute for the store bought brands. Topped with a veggie chilli (see recipe below), shredded mozzarella and feta, mushrooms, corn and baked in the oven until the cheese melts. When they come out, sprinkly with the toppings you normally like…I went with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. These made football watching much more enjoyable!
Veggie Chili Nacho Topping (Adapted from Cooking Light)
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package veggie ground round
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 chipotle chili in adobo, seeded and minced
1 tbs adobo sauce (from canned chili)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
Preheat pan over medium high heat and add a little olive oil. Saute onion, pepper, garlic, and zucchini until soft. Add veggie crumbles and spices and break up veggie crumbles with spoon. Add chili, sauce, beans, and tomatoes and simmer until nice and thick. This is also delicious just eaten plain as chili.
To go with the nachos (because obviously one giant pan of nachos was not enough), I made homemade chips…kale chips that is! If you have not had these before…run out now, buy a head of kale, and make them. Because trust me when I say, you will love them! Everyone does!
Crispy, Salty, Delicious Kale!
And they’re so easy to make! Don’t be intimated by these giant heads of green leaves…just remove the leave from the thick stems, chop into manageable eating pieces, and toss with a little olive oil and salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven until browned and crispy…about 15-20 minutes. You can also season these with anything you like…I’ve done garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, parm…the possibility are endless!
After running 16 miles…these football foods and a cold pumpkin beer (which I’m really into now!) really hit the spot. One more extra long training run to go before the big day!
