~Sunday, February 23, 2014
In the days of old, mashed
potatoes were only served as a side dish to hearty meat entrées in restaurants. However, much to my delight these days, lighter
dinner selections of fish entrées, such as sea bass, or salmon, also come served alongside creamy mashed
potatoes. With a great desire to bring
this new trend home to my own dinner table—without
straying from healthy eating habits!—I was enthused to learn, and eager to
share this mashed potato recipe my mother conjured up in the attempt to get my
dad to eat more vegetables. Much like my
Cauliflower and Potato Soup blog last
May, these two ingredients are partnered up—creating a creamy, dreamy dish, and producing a guilt-free “pass of
mash” around the table for second helpings.
Ingredients
(Serves 6 to 8)
1 large cauliflower head, cut
into small florets
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes,
peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons butter (softened)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
cheese
½ teaspoon salt, plus salt and freshly
ground pepper to taste
Place potatoes and cauliflower
in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce flame to medium-low, add ½ teaspoon of
salt, and cook until ingredients are soft, about 20 minutes. Completely drain water (leaving ingredients
in the pot), and use a potato masher to break down potatoes and cauliflower to
a creamy consistency (without over-mashing) retaining a small portion of
chunks. Place butter in the pot, and
allow it to melt before mixing butter with the other ingredients (to avoid
over-mashing, as well). Lightly mix in
Parmesan cheese; season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.