Sausage and Radicchio Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Neapolitan Pizza Dough, or 2 pounds store-bought pizza dough
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, torn into rough chunks and drained
• 12 ounces bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 1 medium head radicchio, roughly chopped
• 4 to 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 24 fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and tuck each piece into a covered quart-sized deli container or a zipper-lock freezer bag. Rest the dough on the counter before baking, at least 2 hours. Pour the tomatoes into a medium bowl, crush them coarsely with your hands, season with salt to taste, and put them aside.
2. Set an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler, then place a baking stone or steel on that rack. Heat the oven for at least 45 minutes at its top setting, 500 or 550 degrees F. You can also cook the pizzas with a Kettle Pizza and Baking Steel grill insert.
3. When baking time is close, place a dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Press it gently into a rough 8-inch round, keeping the outer 1-inch a bit thicker. Drape the dough over your knuckles and coax it into a 10 to 12-inch round about 1/4-inch thick, then move it to a floured wooden pizza peel.
4. Turn the broiler to high. Spoon on a thin coating of tomato sauce, then scatter over 1/4 of the mozzarella. Pinch 1/4 of the sausage into small pieces across the top. Add 1/4 of the radicchio and 1/4 of the Parmesan in an even layer. Finish with a light sprinkle of salt, 6 basil leaves, and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
5. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or steel. Broil until the rim has risen and taken on a little char and the underside is crisp, turning the pizza often so it cooks evenly, 3 to 6 minutes total. Use a metal peel to lift it out and set it on a cutting board. Cut and serve right away. While that pizza is coming out, set the oven back to 550 degrees F so the stone heats up again for the rest.
6. Repeat the topping, broiling, slicing, and serving process with the remaining pizzas.