Grilled Pizza with Sausage, Peppers and Fontina Cheese

While it was a toss-up between all the pizzas, I think this one could have been my favorite of the three. There really isn’t anything like freshly grilled peppers and onions. This recipe requires a good amount of preparation but it is certainly worth it. I wouldn’t advise hosting a large party and attempting these recipes – they are much better suited for small gatherings with close friends who are willing to pitch in a hand (and cover an eye when you drop an ingredient). And those types of interactive parties are always the most fun anyway.

I used Tyler Florance’s standard pizza dough – which is always trusty and reliable.

Grilled Pizza with Hot Sausage, Grilled Peppers and Onions adapted from Bobby Flay

1/2 pound Italian hot sausage
1 large red onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
1 large red pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound grated fontina cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat a grill. Grill the sausage on both sides until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side. Brush onions and peppers with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions and peppers until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the sausage from the grill and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Remove the onions, separate into rings, and roughly chop. Remove the peppers and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices.

Heat grill to high. Brush dough with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a flat surface.

Layer the fontina on the dough and top with sausage, onions and peppers. Place the pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. To finish in the oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pizza on sheet pans and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven and top with chopped herbs. Slice and serve.

2 comments

Harold says:

June 7, 2011 at 11:38 am

Sounds delicious!

Grilled pizza | Single Guy Cooking says:

June 20, 2011 at 9:25 am

[…] I didn’t make my own dough, because, well, that sounds like a lot of work. Anyway, here’s the recipe I was […]