Mashed Cauliflower With Cheese
By: Taylor Davies
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 5:45pm

Ingredients




Salt
1 large head cauliflower, cored, trimmed, and separated into florets
1 cup milk or cream, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups grated white melting cheese, like cheddar, Asiago or Gru
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Chopped parsley leaves for garnish

Preparation

1 Fill a large pot with water, put it on to boil, and salt it.  Boil the cauliflower until very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Wipe the pot dry. 2 Put the milk, butter, and cheese in the pot over medium-low heat. Sprinke with salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking, until the cheese and butter start to melt, 3 to 5 minutes. 3 Stir in the cauliflower and mash with a fork or potato masher; stir well to combine. The mixture should be the consistency you like in mashed potatoes. If its not creamy enough, add a little of the cauliflower cooking water or more milk or cream until it is. 4 Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish and serve.

About


From Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." About this recipe he says, "This is one dish taht came out of the low-carb diet craze that is actually worth making. The diet set touted this dish as a mashed potatoe substitute because of the fluffy, creamy texture. But I think it's great as a vegetarian main dish, with other vegetables--and yes, some bread or cooked grains!--on the side. Use any good melting cheese you like here or all Parmesan for a less creamy, fluffier version. (Other vegetables you can use: Broccoli.)"