Tonight, I was inspired to use the bright purple cauliflower I got from my farmer's market job last Saturday. I also had three spuds my mom had bought while she was here. I also had, some mediocre sharp chedder cheese, and some homemade salsa (tomato, white onion, jalapeno, lime juice, avocado, cilantro, and some Sriracha and Valentina hot sauce). That being said, I decided to go for a little twist on the Twice Baked Potato.
We shall call this:
The Cauliflower and Spud Smash Bake w/ Salsa and Cheese
(below is my loose recipe that came together while I was in the kitchen)
So I first consulted the internet, and I got the idea to combine the cauliflower and potatoes from the following site, which had a sweet recipe for Cauliflower and Potato Mash.
Ingredients:
Potatoes
Cauliflower (purple if ya kind find it!)
Cheddar Cheese
Salsa
Anything else you think would go well: I happen to be frying sausage and onions at the time, so the greasy onions got tossed in. Come to think of it, could have thrown in the sausage too...but my roommate doesn't eat pork, so next time, next time.
Process:
1. Throw the potatoes into the oven at 400F, (don't forget to stab them with a fork--something my mom taught me).
2. Take your dogs for a walk for about 30mins or read a book, check an email, etc.
3. When you come back home, cut the cauliflower stock out, and take the remaining small bundels and throw them in a saute pan or a pot, with a lid. Throw in a little salt and a few Tbsp's of Butter (I used Earth Balance, for that is what we had).
4. Simmer on low heat. Once the cauliflower is cooked and tender to a fork poke, turn off the heat.
5. When the potatoes are baked, take them out, and let them cool a bit. Then cut off a small section of the potato (essentially a top--your keeping them as containers for your final smash to be placed in). Scoop the contents into a bowl, or if you are lucky like me, into your food processor--my roommate scored a used one, and the price was right.
6. In a large bowl or processor, combine: the scooped out portions of the potato, the cauliflower and accompanying buttery liquid, salsa, chedder cheese chunks, and whatever else you think would work.
7. Mash or process the contents to desired consistency. The processor turned it into a nice smooth puree.
8. Scoop the contents back into the potato skins, and really fill them up, since you will have more than what came out of them (I wound up eating some of the smash with the sausage and onions I was cooking).
9. Throw them back in the oven at 400F, and let them go for as long as you think they need--I had them in there for about 10 minutes, and the tops, because of the cheese I believe, had a nice little skin cooked on.
10. Enjoy them with some hot sauce, a cut of meat, and a beer (or class that up as needed--hot sauce ---> Au juis reduction; beer ---> Pinot; and so on).
And well you should have something like this (looks sort of like vomit, I guess...you could probably use food coloring, if you can't get purple cauliflower...or just let it be what it is):
