Potato and Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower is a most unassuming vegetable, hardly praised as delicious and the least served at our table.

All four of my children detested it while growing up and I believe still do to this day. It was banned as an ingredient in my minestrone soup and the sheer mention of the word cauliflower drained the colour from their faces and made them gag!

My mother made a pasta cauliflower dish which I make now and then and will certainly post it at some point for all cauliflower lovers.

I wish I had looked for different ways of preparing this vegetable in but instead each time I cooked it for my husband and myself something else was on the menu for the children.  I had never stopped to consider the nutritional value of cauliflower before but some quick research revealed that its unassuming, almost colourless appearance is hiding incredible nutritional value.

I had cauliflower on hand this week and at the same time came across this recipe for Potato Cauliflower Mash in a free supermarket magazine someone had kindly given to me.  It looked interesting enough to try and although a little too late for my much younger children this would have been a perfect way to secretly get all that goodness of cauliflower into them.

Who knows, I may still get a chance!

Potato and Cauliflower Mash
2 pounds Russet potatoes (about 3 large peeled and cubed)
4 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup grated Grueyere or aged white cheddar
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1. Place potatoes and cauliflower in a large pot of salted water.
2. Bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Drain and return to pot and place on hot burner to dry for about 1 minute.
4. Mash roughly then add sour cream and olive oil.
5. Continue mashing or use a hand mixer to whip mixture until light and smooth.
6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
7. Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of serving.  Place in an 8 inch greased pan and store in the refrigerator. Warm in a 350 degree oven until hot.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• Not having any Gruyere or Old White Cheddar available at the time 1 cup grated mozzarella and ½ cup parmigiano was substituted.
• Although the recipe calls for Russet potatoes I’m sure Yukon or other yellow flesh potatoes would also work well.
• Unless one knows there is cauliflower in this mash it would be hard to detect.
• Served this dish the following day, piping hot and it was absolutely delicious.  Everyone had a second helping.  A great make ahead vegetable dish.