Cauliflower Mashers
1 large head of cauliflower
2 baked white potatoes
3-4 cloves roasted garlic or more if you want a strong garlic flavor
2 TBS or more butter or buttery spread (if you decide to use olive oil, be careful and add a tsp at a time and taste. Olive oil can overpower the dish.)
2-3 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried (taste preference)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
Steam cauliflower until it is cooked but still has a sturdy structure. You should be able to put a fork through it easily but you don’t want it mushy. Bake your potatoes wrapped in foil until soft. I usually bake them at 500 for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size. The last 15 minutes of potato baking time, wrap your garlic cloves in aluminum foil and toss them in the front of the oven. (TIP – Cut the ends off of the garlic clove so it squirts out of the skin once cooked. Makes it a lot easier!) Check on them in 7 minutes and see if they are mushy. If not, return them and keep checking until the garlic is very mushy but don’t mash too hard or they will squirt out in your foil.
When everything is cooked: Put the cauliflower into the food processor and chop it up as fine as possible but don’t cream it yet. Add everything but the potatoes. Once everything is incorporated in the processor and the cauliflower looks like it could cream pretty quick, remove the skins from the potatoes, chop them in large chunks and put them in too. Jog the processor until you have it the consistency you want. If you cream them too much, you will end up with paste. The idea is to still have some of the cauliflower structure and potato structure left when you are done. You may need to adjust seasonings to your personal preference.
You can use all cauliflower if you want. I have done that several times and it’s delicious. Once again, don’t over process and don’t cook the cauliflower too long or you’ll have paste. Still tastes good but you need a spoon to eat it!