I’m such an Italian girl at heart.

And by that, I of course mean, I’m such an Italian eater at heart.

I don’t think I have any of that Jersey Shore Italian in me… but put me on a reality show with fist pumping dudes and foul mouthed ladies and ya never know. (Yes… I finally watched my first episode on the elliptical yesterday and I can’t decide if I’m intrigued or completely offended. )

But back to the food! You guys know I adore pasta – and that will always be true – but pizza is another great love of mine.

I mean, really, is there anyone who doesn’t just friggin’ love pizza? I find myself obsessing over a slice on the daily. Maybe it’s a New York thing?

Last week I ran out of red sauce (tsk tsk), so I took an adventurous road to pizza land by making a sauce free pie, pimped out with home fries, bacon, and sunny side up eggs.

I also tossed some parsley and sriracha on at the end, for color and personality, ya know.

It was an epic dinner experience, and if you’re a beer drinker, I can’t recommend cracking one open while you devour a few slices enough.

I normally make my own pizza dough, but this time I used a store crust I had in the freezer to save on time. If making dough isn’t your thing, I know Trader Joe’s makes a pretty decent one that is so stinking cheap you can beat it.

Once you’ve figured out your dough situation and formed it into the shape you desire (I know a lot of people are fierce when it comes to the whole square vs circle thing, so that I leave up to you), you can move onto the fun part: toppings!

Because the home fries and bacon take the longest, you should get crackin’ on those first.

Once we’ve got that covered all you need to do is grate your cheeses, and put the pie together.

The eggs get cracked and carefully placed on top of the pizza right before it enters the oven to do it’s baking business. And when it comes out…

BOOM! Look-at-that!

Try and tell me your face doesn’t want to get all crazy with that slice! I wouldn’t believe you if you did.

Note: If you’re a vegetarian I think swapping fried mushrooms for the bacon might be a nice way to make this pizza your own.

Breakfast Pizza – Baker by Nature

Serves 4 (assuming you eat 2 slices a piece)

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough, store bought or homemade

4 strips of bacon, slightly undercooked

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 ounces potatoes (I used red ones I had leftover from another recipe, but I think any will work fine), cut into 1/4 – inch cubes

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 small clove of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 large eggs

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Directions:

Bacon and Potatoes:

Fry your bacon in a large skillet, cooking until just crisp, then transferring to paper towels to cool. Be careful not to overcook your bacon!

Chop your potatoes, onion, and garlic. In a large skillet over medium high heat melt butter, then add potatoes. Stir to coat evenly, then cook for about 8 minutes, only stirring occasionally. Add onion, and cook for another minute before adding garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 2 minutes before removing from heat. Set skillet aside until needed.

For the dough: On a well floured counter top, work the dough into a round disc, then stretch into a 12 inch – circle, or large square, if desired. Transfer the dough onto a large baking sheet that has been lightly oiled.

Putting it together: 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (F).

Sprinkle the pizza dough with half of the cheeses, then add the home fries, then the rest of the cheese and the bacon. Carefully crack the three eggs on top of the pizza, and lightly sprinkle it with freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, rotating the pan after 8 minutes. Once the crust is golden brown, the cheese is gooey and melted, and the eggs look set, your ready to remove your pie!

Sprinkle the pizza with chopped parsley and serve immediately.