I’m always looking for new ways to tell people about my favorite pizza topping. The perfect pizza for me is no sauce, just a bit of olive oil, topped with cheese (in this case, fontina, mozzarella and parmesan) potato, sausage and rosemary. It’s carbs on carbs and you might think potato on pizza is crazy but honestly this combination is everything to me. I turned my favorite pizza into these Potato and Sausage Calzones using that basic pizza dough recipe I just updated earlier this week. You can’t go wrong with calzones ever. They’re basically portable pizza pockets and if you’re anything like me, then you’ve probably haven’t had one since you were younger. I’m here to fix that now with these!
Set a medium skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the sausage. Break up with a wooden spoon, cooking until golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes and fennel, if using. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
**Note: I like my Italian sausage extra spicy, so I use hot Italian but also add in a bit more crushed red pepper flakes. You can omit them or just use mild and add a pinch so as to control the level of heat!**
Roll out the dough, one piece at a time, and then brush with olive oil. Top with fontina, mozzarella, parmesan, potatoes, salt, pepper, rosemary, and sausage. Keep things to one side since we’ll be folding the dough over.
**Note: To cook the potatoes, place the unpeeled, whole potatoes into a medium saucepan and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until almost fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, thinly slice and set aside.**
Fold the dough over and crimp/seal the edges. Brush each with the remaining olive oil and make two small slits on top of each with a sharp pairing knife. Sprinkle with parmesan and rosemary. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
**Note: There should be two calzones on each baking sheet. This will give the plenty of room while baking. Try not to overcrowd them so that they bake properly.**
Let’s talk dough for a second. You can use store-bought pizza dough, believe me I won’t judge you. In a pinch, it’s really helpful. I use it sometimes too! Of course, if you have the time, make it yourself! You can really notice the difference. Here is the recipe for my basic pizza dough, which works great for these calzones.
The great thing about these calzones is that they’re filling and super easy to make. Especially if you plan ahead and prep the dough and filling the night before. ie cook the potatoes and sausage beforehand and keep it all in the fridge. You can also bake these and then freeze for later. Just rewarm in the oven when you’re craving a calzone!
You can serve them as is or with warmed store-bought (or homemade) pizza sauce for dipping. Honestly, you went through the trouble of making homemade calzones, buying store-bought pizza sauce won’t be the end of the world.
This is inspired by this pizza from a while back but it’s just as tasty in calzone form. If you’ve never had potato on pizza before (or in this case in pizza) then I hope you’ll give it a try because it’ll change your life. Let me know what you think below. Thank you so much for reading and following along.
Potato and Sausage Calzones
Equipment
- Baking Sheets
- Rolling Pin
- Pot
- skillet
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 8 ounces mild or hot Italian sausage
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- 16 ounces homemade or store-bought pizza dough
- 1 cup shredded Fontina cheese
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
- Kosher salt and coarse black pepper
- Warmed pizza sauce for dipping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the unpeeled, whole potatoes into a medium saucepan and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until almost fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, thinly slice and set aside.
- Set a medium skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the sausage. Break up with a wooden spoon, cooking until golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes and fennel, if using. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Keep them covered with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Working with one at a time, roll out on a lightly floured work surface to a large round, about 1/4-inch thick. Brush with olive oil and then top half of the dough with 1/4 cup each of fontina and mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan. Top with a few slices of potatoes and season with a bit of salt, pepper and rosemary. Top with few spoonfuls of the sausage. Fold in half, bringing one side of the dough over the filling. Seal and crimp the edges of the calzone with your fingers or a fork. Place one of the prepared baking sheets. Continue filling the rest of the calzones in the same way.
- There should be two calzones on each baking sheet. This will give the plenty of room while baking. Brush each with the remaining olive oil and make two small slits on top of each with a sharp pairing knife. Sprinkle with parmesan and rosemary. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. You can serve them as is or with warmed store-bought (or homemade) pizza sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
