Potato and Herb Focaccia

Common to the Puglia region of Italy, potato focaccia is a particularly moist version of the classic Italian bread. We embedded ours with deep herbal flavors by seasoning the cooking water for the potatoes with rosemary or thyme, as well as garlic. Then we made the starchy, herb-infused cooking liquid do double duty, using it in the dough, too. Yukon Gold potatoes give the focaccia color and texture, and don’t require peeling (the soft skins disappeared into the dough). For our herbs, we like a combination of rosemary and thyme, but oregano and bay leaves work, too. After the dough comes together, you may need to add more cooking liquid (up to ¼ cup) to achieve the proper texture; the dough should be soft and sticky, and just barely clear the sides of the bowl. The focaccia is delicious with a sprinkling of herbs and black pepper, but Kalamata olives and Parmesan cheese are welcome additions. Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, was a nice touch, as well.