Roasted Garlic Mashed Faux-tatoes

One of my favorite things about following the Paleo Diet is the abundance of substitutions you can make for nearly any food you might be craving that isn’t “paleo.”  Cauliflower, often a forgotten vegetable among the general population, is highly revered among the primal community.  With its  mild flavor, it can be transformed into so many things, including rice (more on that later), pizza crust, and even mashed “potatoes.” While I call this a mashed “faux-tato” recipe, it isn’t entirely “faux” because I did add one sweet potato to the mix, which adds a slight sweetness and creamier texture.  This side dish goes well with a variety of proteins, especially my upcoming recipe for Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs.

Not the best photo, but still super yummy!

Mashed “Faux-tatoes”

Ingredients:

• 5 cloves garlic

• 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped

• 1 sweet potato

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 Tablespoon butter

• 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Create a small nest for the garlic cloves out of aluminum foil and cover them about halfway with the olive oil.  Place in a glass baking dish to prevent the oil from leaking in the oven.  Poke the sweet potato a few times with a fork and place in the baking dish next to the garlic.  

2. Roast the garlic and sweet potato for about 30 minutes, then remove the garlic and turn the sweet potato over.  Continue cooking the sweet potato for about 20-30 more minutes  or until tender.  

3. In the meantime, steam the cauliflower in a pot or saucepan filled with about a half inch of water using a steamer basket.  Allow the cauliflower and the sweet potato to cool slightly, then scoop the sweet potato out of its skin, and add both the cauliflower and the sweet potato along with the garlic, garlic powder and salt to a food processor.  Purée until it has reached your desired consistency, then add it to a saucepan and set it to low heat.  Add the butter (and heavy cream if desired) and stir until combined and heated through, then remove from heat.

What is your favorite way to eat cauliflower?