My husband and I are not big grill people. (Does that mean we can’t be friends?) It is, however, something I would like to do a bit more of this summer, as I think my little red charcoal grill is decidedly cute and adorable (though, little baby fish lips will win any contest hands down) plus there’s just something about that charcoal flavor that tastes like America. (I’m officially weird, got it.) But when spring has been so nice, and our recent rain attack has washed away most of the pollen plaguing my household members I thought it would be fun to pull out the rusty gal and grill up some pizza.

Grilling pizza is just as easy as baking (that is, if you actually keep yours outside on fancy platforms like decks or patios; not in your shed because you have no such thing as a deck or patio) and gives you the added bonus of charcoal flavor, grill marks — those are pretty right? — and the slightly charred, crispy, grilled flavor that none other can impart than a grill.

To begin, you must pre-heat your grill — something that can take you over an hour if your names are Josh and/or Meg and you are working in unison against the wind with every possible weapon to get it to light, but failing miserably. But that’s just us. I’ll assume all you grill masters know exactly what you’re doing.

Once your coals are lit and not in danger of going out, move the coals into a pile on one side of the grill, leaving the other half empty. Cover the grill and let it get super hot.

While waiting, get your dough and roll it out into a 12-inch circle. I usually prefer my crusts pretty thin as I enjoy the toppings more than a thick piece of bread, but in this case, with the cheese we weighed it down with and the relatively quick cook time I found I preferred the thicker crust. Plus it prevents the crust from burning/over baking before the cheese has a chance to melt.

Once your dough is ready and the grill is nice and hot, take some paper towels and dip them in a little vegetable oil. Using tongs, rub the grate with the oil laden towels to prevent your dough from sticking.

Gently lay your dough onto the hot side of the grate and cook it for about a minute, maybe two.

Pretty quickly you will see your dough start to grow bubbles. When this happens, use your tongs and peek underneath.

Your dough should have some grill marks. Once it does, flip the dough over and move it to the non-coal side (clearly my grill terminology needs some work).

Quickly and liberally brush the dough with your garlic infused oil.

Next sprinkle your cheeses on top — and be liberal with it. This pizza has no sauce.

Then lightly drizzle some of the remaining garlic oil on top of the cheese. Or if you’re my husband you can dump the whole thing on there. In which case you will want to tilt your pizza slightly to let some of the excess roll off into the belly of the grill as it will look like an oil slick mess.

At this point you will want to rotate your pizza — the side closest to the hot coals will burn if left as is — then cover up the grill and let it bake for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Once the pizza has baked, remove it from the grill and you can either set is aside or keep it in a warm oven as you get your salad ready.

Take some salad greens, we used mache, but arugula would work just as well, and toss it with a little bit of the vinaigrette — just enough to very lightly coat the leaves. Place the salad on top of the pizza, and slice up some lemon rings.

Place the lemon disks on top and serve, amazing your better half, your friends, or just yourself at how awesome and easy grilled pizza can be.

We’re kind of pizza-holics over here, and by we I am referring to my husband. Here a list of all our previous pizzas to date as it seems we’re making a new pie every few months or so. Pizza Previously: Shitake, Radicchio and Taleggio Pizza, Barbecue Chicken Pizza, Broccoli Rabe and Goat Cheese Pizza, Turkey, Caramelized Onion and Apple Pizza, Spinach Artichoke Pizza, and Sausage, Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Two Years Ago: Pizza of the Gods (Sausage, Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Pizza) See, we are a little obsessed!

Grilled White Pizza

Notes: I used three cheeses for this pizza: goat, fontina and mozzarella. Frankly, skip the mozarrella, it adds little flavor and is an extra step/money that I just don’t think is necessary. The goat and fontina are far better here.

Makes 1 12-inch pie

1 recipe pizza dough, this one is our all-time favorite

Garlic Oil:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
5 sprigs of thyme
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Toppings:
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled goat cheese*
2 good handfuls, about 1 1/2 cups, lettuce such as mache or arugula
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
A splash of white wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes

Garlic Oil: In a small skillet or saucepan, add oil, garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper. Simmer over low heat, cooking for 10 minutes and infusing the oil with garlic. Stir occasionally to ensure garlic doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use. There is no need to remove the thyme or garlic from the oil once it has finished infusing. The longer they sit in the oil, the stronger the flavor will become, however, when brushing and pouring the oil on the pizza, you do not need to pour the garlic slices or the thyme bundle onto the pizza — unless you want the extra garlic or enjoy eating leafy sticks.

Pizza: Using the steps above, preheat grill and grill pizza.

Vinaigrette: In a small bowl combine, lemon juice, olive oil, dijon, and vinegar. Whisk well to combine. Season to taste with salt and crushed red pepper.

*I tried to grate my goat cheese because I thought it would be easier to spread, but it was so soft it crumbled and schmeared and did really anything but shred. I would either use it crumbled or thinly slice it into medallions and just place them on the pizza.