Rosemary mashed fauxtatoes, without a steamer

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Pictured with BBQ turkey meatloaf; I will post the recipe for that tomorrow!

I love cauliflower mashed "fauxtatoes". This has always been my standard preparation; the use of a vegetable steamer basket is vital to prevent the cauliflower from getting soggy and waterlogged. After seeing this recipe from A Veggie Venture (one of my favorite blogs!), I got an idea for a technique that would no longer necessitate a steamer. It was convenient as well because I got a half pound of turnips in my CSA box. I put the turnips in boiling water to cover, then added the cauliflower florets on top. This way the turnips boil and get tender while the cauliflower steams, using the turnips as a rack. Then everything gets drained and pureed together.

The original recipe used sage, but I had some rosemary in my garden so I went with that. You can substitute other fresh herbs, but I don't think I'd use dried for this. I also modified the recipe to be dairy-free.

I pureed everything in my food processor to get it creamy and smooth; you can use a potato masher if you'd like but it will be lumpy and the cauliflower will be more detectable.

ROSEMARY MASHED FAUXTATOES
Makes about 4 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium-sized head of cauliflower, stemmed and cut into uniform florets
• About 1/2 lb turnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
• 1 Tbs fresh minced rosemary or other herb
• 1 Tbs ghee (can substitute olive oil or butter)
• 1 Tbs coconut milk (can substitute heavy cream, or just leave it out, though it will be less creamy)
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Generous amount of salt, to taste
• Optional: truffle salt, for sprinkling (if you happen to have it on hand)

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring an inch of water to a boil in a saucepan just large enough to hold the turnip chunks in a single layer. Add a generous pinch of salt, add the turnips, then layer the cauliflower on top. Sprinkle with salt, cover, and cook until very tender and just slightly overcooked. Drain in a colander.
2. When cool enough to handle, add the veggies to a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to partially process half of them before you can add the rest. Process until completely smooth. Taste and add salt if desired.
3. Serve warm, optionally sprinkled with truffle salt.

Posted in: side dish