Classics reinterpreted: asparagus and potatoes meet pizza, Kartoffel-Marketing GmbH, press release

The asparagus season has started and millions of Germans are looking forward to potatoes, asparagus and Hollandaise sauce. No wonder. Because Germany is not only the land of potatoes, but also ranks first in a European comparison of asparagus cultivation areas. Potato Marketing GmbH knows exactly what is served at the asparagus season and how a delicious change can be made on the plate.

Asparagus vs Potato?
In Germany, asparagus was cultivated on 21,400 hectares in 20221. This puts Germany in the lead in a European comparison. With a cultivation area of ​​266,800 hectares2, Germany is also among the best in Europe when it comes to potato cultivation. Because what would the asparagus be without potatoes as a side dish? The asparagus and the potato are not only a real dream team in terms of taste: If you want to eat regionally and seasonally, you can use potatoes and asparagus – both taste delicious and are good for the climate thanks to the short transport distances. But if you want to keep the transport routes short, you should take a closer look at the label of the potatoes during the asparagus season: because the German new potatoes are only available in retail from mid-May. Before that, imports that have already covered a few kilometers dominate. So it’s worth waiting for the new potatoes here or asking the farmer in the area for German new potatoes.

Potatoes AND asparagus!
59 percent of those surveyed say that their favorite side dish with asparagus is potatoes. This puts the tuber in second place, right behind Hollandaise sauce. Cooked ham and schnitzel follow in third place with 33 percent. According to the “Statista” survey, only 7 percent of Germans3 eat risotto as a side dish with asparagus. Dieter Tepel, Managing Director of Kartoffel Marketing GmbH, knows: “In Germany, boiled potatoes and Hollandaise sauce are traditionally served with asparagus. But the potato is so diverse – it can be combined in new ways over and over again. As a potato pizza with asparagus, for example. This snack tastes delicious in the asparagus season, is regional, seasonal and something completely different for once.”

Mini potato pizzas with green asparagus
For twelve pizzas, boil approx. 250 grams of floury potatoes in salted water, peel and mash. Alternatively, boiled potatoes from the day before can also be used.
Put 300 grams of flour in a large bowl, crumble in half a cube of fresh yeast, add a pinch of sugar and about 100 milliliters of lukewarm water and stir everything together. Place a cloth over the bowl and let the pre-dough rise for 15 minutes.

Add the mashed potatoes to the batter. Add three tablespoons of olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt and about 80 milliliters of water and knead until smooth. The dough shouldn’t be too sticky and shouldn’t pull away from the edges. Add a little more flour if necessary. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, wash 400 grams of green asparagus, cut into pieces four centimeters long and blanch in a pot of boiling salted water for about two minutes.
Rinse the green asparagus with ice-cold water.

Peel 350 grams of floury raw potatoes and cut into thin slices.
Peel and finely chop two cloves of garlic, mix with a tablespoon of lemon zest and three tablespoons of olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/convection.

Flour the work surface, knead the dough again and divide into 12 equal balls.
Roll out the dough balls evenly into small pizza bases, top with potato slices and asparagus.

Drizzle over the lemon garlic oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake the mini potato pizzas with green asparagus for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely browned. Serve garnished with fresh rosemary.

The recipe is also available online: https://die-kartoffel.de/mini-kartoffelpizzan-mit-gruenem-spargel/

More information, great recipes and tips about potatoes at: www.die-kartoffel.de
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1 https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/413625/umfrage/anbauflaeche-von-spargel-in-deutschland-in-deutschland/
2 https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2022/128-kartoffelernte.html#:~:text=Vor%20allem%20bei%20Kartoffeln%2C%20die,die%20Ertragsr%C3%BCckg%C3%A4nge%20nicht%20kompensiert%20werden.
3 https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/545061/umfrage/spargel-beliebteste-beilagen-in-deutschland/