Smashed, mashed or whipped potatoes -- you love them, I know you do, everyone does. Cauliflower -- maybe you love it, maybe you don't, but if you do, you'll love the combination of buttery-rich mashed cauliflower and potatoes laced with bits of onion and garlic. It's the divine intervention of the creamy-comforting side-dish food world -- it happens when the mild- and slightly-nutty flavored sun-soaked "cabbage flower" meets the sun-starved, earthy and starchy potato. Make no mistake, when boiled and mashed, cauliflower is great, but it's: mashed cauliflower -- just because it's the same color, doesn't make it "just like" mashed potatoes and it's silly to say so. That said, add an equal amount of potatoes to the same pot -- game on.
Cauliflower mashed w/o potatoes is mashed cauliflower -- good but not mashed potatoes. Add potatoes to the same pot -- game on!
12 ounces whole cauliflower florets, removed from 1 medium-sized 2-pound head cauliflower as directed here, weighed, not measured
12 ounces peeled and 3/4-1" cubed Yukon gold potatoes (12 ounces after peeling)
1 tablespoon sea salt, for seasoning the water
6 tablespoons salted butter, preferably at room temperature
3/4 cup cream, preferably at room temperature
1 teaspoon dehydrated, minced onion
1 teaspoon dehydrated, minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
snipped chives, for garnish (optional)
~Step 1. Remove florets from the head of cauliflower, placing them on a kitchen scale as you work. Place 12-ounces of whole florets in a wide-bottomed 4-quart stockpot. Peel and dice potatoes as directed, placing them in the stockpot with the cauliflower as you work. Cover with 2-quarts cold water and add 1 tablespoon sea salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust heat to a gentle, steady simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender through to their centers, 10-12 minutes -- when potatoes are done, cauliflower is done. Remove from heat and transfer to a colander to thoroughly drain. Return steaming-hot vegetables to still-hot stockpot and place pot on a heat-safe surface.
~ Step 2. While the potatoes are simmering, place cream, butter, minced garlic, minced onion, salt and pepper in a 2-cup measuring container. Place in microwave to warm up gently, until butter has melted. Remove from microwave and set aside.
~Step 3. Add half of the warm butter/cream mixture to the stockpot. Using a hand-held vegetable masher (for smashed or mashed potatoes) or on medium speed of hand-held electric mixer, whip the potatoes. Add the second half of the butter/cream mixture and gradually increase mixer speed to high, whipping the mixture while scraping down the sides of the pot with a large rubber spatula until smooth and creamy, about 2 full minutes. There will be four generous cups.
Buttery rich & full of onion & garlic flavor...
... cauliflower & gold mashed potatoes -- the gold standard.
Onion & Garlic Cauliflower & Gold Mashed Potatoes: Recipe yields a generous 4 cups cauliflower and mashed potatoes/approximately 6 servings.
Special Equipment List: kitchen scale; cutting board; chef's knife; vegetable peeler; wide-bottomed 4-quart stockpot w/lid; 2-cup measuring container; colander; hand-held vegetable masher or hand-held electric mixer; large rubber spatula
Cook's Note: It's right up there with pizza, cheeseburgers and hot dogs. ~ The Machinations of Mashed Potatoes ~ is one of my favorite topics to discuss. One can never have too many recipes for any of them. It's hard to imagine my food world without mashed potatoes. They are an institution -- a way of life. They're the quintessential side-dish served year-round at elegant celebrations, casual get-togethers and weekday meals. They're revered by young and old alike -- they make everyone happy.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2019)
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