Cauliflower Mash
This is my steakhouse side alternative to standard mashed potatoes. I'll post more variations of this dish over time, but this is the base from which they're all derived from. This could easily become a vegan dish as well as a low calorie / low fat dish by omitting the fats and cheese, or swapping them with vegan friendly options. In this version, I used one potato to help with the consistency. You can omit this as well, but I feel it helps out the texture quite a bit. Just as with mashed potatoes, you'll want to use Yukon gold potatoes to mix in with the cauliflower. I used a large head of cauliflower for this, but you can get away with medium sized one just fine. After boiling the cauliflower, you'll want to make sure to drain them very well. If there's too much water leftover, you'll get a soupy result that won't play nicely with the buttermilk and fats. This dish has a pretty good yield for the money you'll spend (assuming you already have the spices). One large head can easily serve as a side dish for 4 people.
Ingredients
1 head of white, yellow or purple cauliflower
1 large Yukon Gold or 1/2lbs of La Ratte potato if available
1/3 cup low fat 2% buttermilk
3tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tbsp creme fraiche or 1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp granulated onion or onion powder
1 tbsp minced chives
1.5 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
1/2 tbsp ground cumin (optional)
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)
Equipment
8qt stockpot
stick blender (you can use a potato masher, but your results won't be as smooth as the blended version)
Prep
Break down cauliflower into florets, discard the root stem. The small stems from the florets are fine.
Peel the potato and rough chop into 1" cubes
Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Leave out at room temperature to soften. This will help it melt quickly.
Cooking Instructions
Bring a large 8qt saucepan of water to a boil
Add the potatoes and cauliflower to the water
Lower the heat a bit to medium high so that you’re at a strong simmer, and not a violent boil.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until completely soft
Strain from water and let sit for 2-3 minutes. You want to drain as much water as possible.
Transfer everything to a mixing bowl
Add the half of the buttermilk and all of the butter. Stir to combine while paying attention to the consistency. You don't want it to be soupy, and you don't want it to be dry. This also depends on the size of your cauliflower head. Continue to add your liquid until you get close to the consistency you want. Then add the creme fraiche below.
Add the creme fraiche, stir to combine
Add all of the dry seasoning.
Stir to combine.
Use the stick blender and blend until smooth, or you can use a potato masher if you want more of a thicker mash
Adjust your seasonings to taste
Garnish with chives
