Whenever I go home for the holidays, I end up cooking a feast that could feed 25 people (mine is a family of 4).
My dad is always rolling his eyes in the corner because he’s not a man who likes waste…. Or leftovers for that matter. I can sense him trying to figure out how to rearrange the fridge to fit all the extra food.
My mom is constantly asking if she can help make anything (asking permission in her own kitchen, mind you). Obviously my answer is always no, because cooking is my favorite thing. So instead, she ends up filling the dishwasher every hour with the mess that I’ve made and sweeping up food particles that I’ve let spill off the counter—love that woman.
And my brother is constantly coming into the kitchen saying “Ash, can we PLEASE not have it be so healthy this year?!” He actually had my mom make him Stove Top stuffing this past Thanksgiving instead of eating my homemade dish with fresh vegetables and fruit. He also always turns his nose up at my Cauliflower Mash that I make every year (yes, it’s essentially just mashed cauliflower but I think it’s very yummy okay?!) So, this Thanksgiving I negotiated with him a bit. I changed my recipe so that it was more “potatoe-y” per his request. And even though my brother looked at me with disgust when I forcefully put a spoonful onto his plate, he DID try it.
And then he tried some more…
And then a bit more…
SUCCESS!!!
It was actually one of the first dishes we ran out of! Mental note: double the recipe for tomorrow!
This year I’ll be at work on Christmas. But the good news is that I still get to cook my feast because I’m catering the hospital’s Christmas lunch! Fingers crossed that I can make more believers out of people with my new and improved cauliflower potato recipe!
And now that I’ve got my new immersion blender this should be a cinch!
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 Idaho potato
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup fat free half and half
¾ cup fat free cream cheese
6 tbsp chopped fresh chives (~2/3 standard bunch)
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1. Heat oven to 400. Cut ends of garlic off and smash cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in stove until soft and fragrant, ~15-20 minutes.
2. Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook ~20 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, place florets in a second pot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cauliflower is done when you can easily pierce it with a fork.
4. Drain both cauliflower and potatoes and combine together. Add half and half and blend with immersion blender until it’s a consistency that you like.
5. Add cream cheese, chives, salt, and pepper. Stir until cream cheese melts.
The Cook’s 2 Cents:
· If you don’t have access to an immersion blender, you can use a food processor or blender instead. If using a blender, I would pulse it though so that it doesn’t turn out soupy.
· I add the cauliflower to the pot of water prior to it coming to a boil because it saves quite a bit of time. I find that by the time the water actually comes to a boil, the cauliflower is usually done.
· Adding potatoes to cold water (the water doesn’t actually have to be cold, just meaning before it boils) helps them to cook more evenly. If you boil the water first, the potatoes end up crumbling and breaking on the outside while the inside is still firm.
· I cook the cauliflower and the potato separately because the cauliflower is usually done before the potato. And I’d rather clean two pots than try and fish for florets with a strainer.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: ½ cup
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Calories: 66 Fat: < 1g Carbs: 11g Fiber: 2g Sugars: 5g Sodium: 462mg
