Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower + Garlic Puree

How to be a complete food creep, in 4 steps:

1. See a friend’s friend's Facebook status about pureed cauliflower, garlic and potato.
2. Immediately go buy said cauliflower, garlic and potato.

3. Recreate aforementioned puree.

4. Blog it. 

Optional: Get in brief tussle with fruit/vegetable man in between steps 2 and 3. Lose. Try not to cry.

TOTALLY WORTH IT. These are, as Angie (roommate) said, ‘better than mashed potatoes’. That may have been influenced by the fact that you can eat the whole pot without feeling too shitty about it, but I’ll take it.

PS. Someone try and tell me there is a better smell than roasted garlic. I will seriously consider any answer that is not Pillsbury crescent rolls. Because that would be cheating. And mean.

Notes

-To easily make this into a soup, add more stock until it’s the consistency you want.

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 Russet or Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cubed

1 head garlic

½ small white or yellow onion, peeled and sliced (optional)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 to 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Garnishes (all optional)

Olive oil

Fresh herbs (scallions, parsley, etc.)

Shredded cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut entire head of garlic in half cross-wise (cutting each clove in half). Place on tin foil, drizzle with olive oil, and tightly close foil. Place in oven.

Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place cauliflower, potato and onion on foil. Toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange vegetables in one single layer. (You may need an additional baking sheet.)

Place baking sheet in oven and roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping veggies halfway through. Once cauliflower is slightly browned and potatoes are soft, remove baking sheet and garlic from oven. Open foil so garlic has a few minutes to cool.

Transfer roasted veggies to a large pot and squeeze in garlic cloves. Add 1 ½ cups stock, and blend with an immersion blender. Add more stock if necessary (I used 2 ½ cups) and puree until you reach desired consistency. (Alternatively, you can transfer everything to a blender.)

Warm through before serving, and garnish with olive oil, fresh herbs, and/or cheese.