Cheesy Mashed Potato Pizza

In college, I lived right down the street from Pizzaria Uno and I loved going to get the mashed potato pizza (I think they have a fancy name for it).  It's just so  comforting in indulgent and filling and perfect.  My friend, Allie, and I would take my meal plan card and share this pizza, followed by the crispy chicken salad with noodles on top, and we thought we were living the high life.  Which, in a lot of ways, we were.   We were young, carefree, and could eat a ridiculous amount of calories without worrying about gaining weight.  Eventually, Jake got wise to this meal plan and decided that it made me an excellent candidate for a girlfriend.  By the end of college he had literally $0 in his bank account (don't feel bad for him; he spent it on a month-long trip to Europe) and he had me to use as his sugarmama to at least get a half-decent meal every once in awhile.  I guess there was something about my meal plan that was irresistible because he ended up proposing to me not long after graduation.  :)   I haven't been to an Uno's in years, but it's fun to make this dish and reminisce.  And even without the memories, it's quite delicious.  Almost like potato skins, but so so so much better.

Cheesy Mashed Potato Pizza

1 store-bought or homemade raw pizza dough 2 Tbsp. paremsan cheese (vegetarian parm if desired) 4 slices provolone cheese 2 cups prepared mashed potatoes 1 garlic scape (or roasted garlic will work) 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 4 strips of crispy bacon (vegetarian bacon if desired) Sour cream for topping

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees with a pizza stone/baking stone  inside.

Let the dough come to room temperature if it is refrigerated and then spread it out on a floured surface to an even, thin layer about the size of the stone.  Once the oven is preheated, take the stone out and carefully spread the dough out on the stone.  Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the dough and then top with the provolone.  Put the stone and dough into the oven and bake for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix about 2 Tbsp. of diced garlic scapes into the mashed potatoes.

Take the dough out of the oven and spread the mashed potatoes in an even layer over the cheese.  Top the potatoes with the cheddar cheese, and then top with the bacon and about 1 tbsp of scapes.  Cook in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown on top and the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes before slicing and serving topped with sour cream.

Source: Inspired by Pizzaria Uno (though it looks like they call themselves "Uno Chicago Grill" now)