Faux-tatoes. I had my doubts when I first heard of them. Really? Someone trying to pass off the starchy goodness of mashed potatoes with cauliflower? I didn’t believe it – until I tried it.
I’ll be honest. At least more honest than some others I know. It still has a cauliflower-y taste but I like cauliflower so I don’t mind it at all. The cream cheese and butter help give it some body and mask an overt cauliflower flavor but the thing that makes it so good is that I don’t feel overly full and bloated after I’m done eating it. It feels clean.
Speaking of clean … when purchasing cauliflower (or any cruciferous veggie such as broccoli, cabbage or Brussels sprouts) buy organic if you can. As a life-long gardener, I don’t bother with these plants because they are so prone to all things buggy and fungus-y. I have tried year after year to grow them organically here in PA. I have never been overly successful so I let it up to the organic professionals now.
Organic cauliflower heads tend to be smaller than conventional versions so you’ll have to use your own judgement as to whether it makes enough for your family. I used a medium-sized head that was about 6-7” across to make this dish. It was enough for six servings.
If you’re looking for something to serve this with, I serve it wherever I would serve mashed potatoes – duh, right? But, my favorite way to eat it is with pork and sauerkraut like in this recipe. I just skip the dumplings because of the carbs.
Creamy Faux-tatoes
Creamy cauliflower made low-carb to replace carb-loaded mashed potatoes. Serve them with a garlic butter sauce to elevate it to the next level!
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 head organic cauliflower
½ tsp mineral or sea
3 oz. cream cheese
3 Tbls butter
Heavy cream (enough to make it creamy) About 6 Tbls, depending on how big the head of cauliflower was and how much moisture was left
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare your cauliflower by mincing it in a food processor OR by cutting into small pieces.
Microwave or quickly cook in a pot of boiling water until tender.
Place cauliflower in cheesecloth or muslin and squeeze all the water out. This will reduce the amount to about 1/3 of the original so plan accordingly if cooking for a group.
When all the water is rung out, place in a food processor or blender and add remaining ingredients.
Blend until smooth and creamy adding the heavy cream a little bit at a time until desired thickness.
At this point, you may need to reheat because cauliflower cools down pretty quickly.
When you’re ready to serve, I like to mix up some fresh minced garlic with butter and pour overtop. It elevates this dish from boring cauliflower to amazing!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Category: Side Dish
1 comment
This was great, my husband was surprised when I told him it wasn’t mashed potatoes. Likes this every bit as much as mashed potatoes.