New York–Style Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

The night before serving, prepare the pizza dough, place in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover and refrigerate. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before forming the pizzas. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven. Place a large pizza stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes.

In a bowl, stir together the tomatoes, 1 Tbs. of the olive oil and the oregano. Set the pizza sauce aside.

In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Set aside.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a taut ball. Place 1 ball on a lightly floured work surface. Return the other ball to its bowl and cover. Roll, pat and stretch the dough into a 12-inch round. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal. Transfer the dough to the peel. Spread with half of the pizza sauce, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Top with half of the mozzarella, then half of the mushroom mixture.

Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, make the second pizza with the remaining ingredients. Using a wide spatula, remove the baked pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Slide the second pizza onto the hot stone and bake for about 12 minutes. Cut and serve the first pizza. When the second pizza is done, top with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano, cut and serve.

Makes two 12-inch pizzas.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, by Rick Rodgers (Oxmoor House, 2009).