Better than Mashed Potatoes
And two Black Friday deals on new kitchen tools I love
This is a long newsletter. To recap:
I’m sharing my recipe for Mashed Cauli-Taters, my other Thanksgiving Non-Negotiable in addition to the Buttermilk Ranch Rolls
Two fantastic, new favorite kitchen tools are currently on sale
Find a trio of easy recipes from elsewhere, to squeeze in next weekend
I hope everyone has a lovely long weekend next week, with some rest, good food, and time with a few people you love. —LV
You’re probably thinking that I came up with these “mashed cauli-taters” as a “healthier” version of mashed potatoes. But I promise, that really isn’t what they’re about. When I first made them and shared the recipe a few years ago, it seemed like a way to give mashed potatoes more character. (I’m from Idaho, and to me mashed potatoes are a little boring?)
Well they’ve turned into another Thanksgiving non-negotiable, like the Ranch Rolls from earlier this week.
So many people, including my whole family, just like them better. They’re basically half cauliflower and half potatoes, and from the cauliflower you make a buttery, silky cream to moisten the mashed potatoes.
For what it’s worth, there isn’t too much butter and also not much milk/cream. But there is a great deal of rich, nutty flavor, and more fluffy-creaminess in the final texture than you’d expect.
You can find the recipe down below, and be sure to check out my Instagram for a recipe video. There are also two new videos demonstrating the Buttermilk Ranch Rolls, one with the bread machine, and one without.
Two Good Kitchen Deals
Material Kitchen’s MK Free Board
I’ve been so impressed by this new cutting board from Material Kitchen. I’m one of those people who was schooled to use wood boards almost exclusively, and I love my wood cutting boards a lot (despite not taking the best care of them).
Sometimes, though, the ease of a lightweight, plastic cutting board that glides frictionlessly in and out of a cupboard and goes straight into the dishwasher when it’s dirty is irresistible. But surely you know how much plastic released into the food from typical plastic boards, and that they’re actually less sanitary than wood.
So I was happy to get an MK Free Board, which is entirely plant-based, made from a composite of clay and bio-based, biodegradable biopolymers (these are the types of materials used in biodegradable packaging).
It also has heft that surprised me in a good way, and noticeable density, too. Mine hasn’t yet soaked up any stains or taken on any knife marks in the past couple weeks I’ve been using it.
And for what it’s worth, I also love Material Kitchen’s Forever Peeler and Coated [nonstick] Pan, too. They make such beautiful, thoughtful kitchen tools, and lucky for us, it looks like the whole site is on sale.
Mill Food Recycler
You may have heard about the Mill Food Recycler (affiliate link) and seen them where you consume your social media. I admit, I was skeptical. First there’s the size — do I have room for it? Second, do I need it if I already have a city composting system? Third, the price.
Then Hetty Lui McKinnon began raving about hers and had a great chat with the company’s founder, Harry Tannenbaum, who I also had the opportunity to meet through Hetty. And I was reminded, once again, how important and impactful it is to keep compostable food out of our landfills, and that not everyone is able to be as diligent as I am about it. Households are the #1 contributor to food in landfills, which is a big problem because food turns into methane, which is bad.
I’ve had my Mill for almost two months, and I’m amazed by it. Given my line of work, I go through a lot of vegetable scraps, and it has been heaven not to make multiple trips down four flights of stairs every day to empty my little compost bucket into the curbside compost bin. The Mill holds about three weeks worth of my scraps before it needs to be emptied.
I just dump my vegetable scraps into the Mill as they pile up. (In their app, there’s an index of what can and can’t go in. Generally, it takes anything that’s suitable for a compost bin.) Then I have a schedule programmed to processes them at 11pm each night, during which they break and cook down into dehydrated food grounds. In the video above, you can see what they look like from one day to the next.
There’s truly no odor at any stage, and it operates very quietly (even Susan doesn’t mind, and she flinches at a dry leaf). And while I was initially worried about the size, it really is no bigger than a standard kitchen trash can, and I love how easy it is to access while I’m cooking.
Currently I add the food grounds to my curbside compost bin, but next spring I can’t wait to mix them into gardening soil. You can also feed them to your chickens, and Mill has a pick-up program where they’ll put them to use.
Like everyone else I’ve met who has introduced one of these appliances into their kitchens, I am kind of obsessed. But there isn’t an easy way around the price. Perhaps one day that will change so that every kitchen can have one, because I really think this is a tool that has that potential to alter how we interact with food waste on a broad scale.
But if you’re able to splurge and or make the investment, the current sale is the lowest the prices have ever gone, at up to $200 off.
Lastly, a few vegetable-centric recipes to consider adding to your Thanksgiving menu:
This roasted kabocha squash (gift link) is SO good — I’ve been enjoying coconut oil with roasted sweet potatoes, and it compliments the squash’s flavor here so beautifully, too
I’m also eager to try Luisa Weiss’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Winter Squash with Cranberries, loving the idea of the fruit saucing everything up
And for something that isn’t pie to shave away at over the long weekend, how about Martin Sorge’s Apple Cider Donut Loaf?
Mashed Cauli-Taters
I’ve revisited my original recipe and made small changes, which is to reduce the amount of milk by a bit, and not add all of the cauliflower cream at once. Cauliflower really vary in water content depending on their size and age, and this way you can adjust the consistency to your personal preferences. Any cauli cream that’s left should be considered a chef’s treat.
The cauliflower cream (Steps 1 and 2) can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cook your potatoes close to when you want to serve them, and reheat the cauliflower cream in the microwave or on the stovetop. Then whisk the cream into the mashed potatoes per Step 4.
If you do want to make these entirely in advance and reheat them on the stovetop, they need to be stirred very frequently over low heat, to prevent scorching.
Nondairy milk (unsweetened almond or soy) and vegan butter work great.
Makes 6 to 8 servings | Ready in 40 minutes
1 large cauliflower (1 ½ to 2 pounds), cut into florets and the core cubed
¾ cup whole milk or unsweetened nondairy milk
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
¾ teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
1 bay leaf
2 pounds Russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1. Combine the cauliflower, milk, butter, salt, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Place it over medium-high heat, and once the liquid is simmering, cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender, stirring a few times, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Pick out the bay leaf, transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender, and process until smooth (you can also do this with an immersion blender, just be thorough).
3. While the cauliflower is cooking, put the potatoes in a pot and cover them with a few inches of water. Set it over high heat, bring the water to a boil, and salt it generously. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain them well and return them to the pot to dry off for a few moments.
4. Mash the potatoes thoroughly using a hand masher. Whisk in about 80% of the cauliflower cream, reserving a little so that you can adjust the consistency as you like. Taste for seasoning, then serve hot with gravy!
I love seeing Susan making an appearance!!
As someone who doesn't always love traditional mashed potatoes (a story for another time), these cauli-taters are calling to me.