by: Kate McMillan
Cook Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Yield
6 servings
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Yield
6 servings
summary
You simply cannot have a holiday meal without mashed potatoes! Our one-pot cauliflower & potato mash recipe offers a modern and lightened-up take on traditional mashed potatoes with the addition of cauliflower. The flavor and texture are incredible—this dish is certain to become a year-round family favorite.
ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
directions
- Cut the cauliflower into small florets and add it to a large stockpot. Add enough cold water to cover the cauliflower. Peel the potatoes and cut into large 1 ½-inch chunks. Add the potatoes, garlic and thyme to the stockpot and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 25 minutes.
- Drain the vegetables, discarding the thyme sprigs. Return the vegetables to the stockpot and cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, to allow the excess moisture to evaporate.
- Remove the stockpot from the heat and use a potato masher to mash the vegetables until they are as smooth as possible. Stir in the butter, milk, salt and pepper. Taste the mash and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve at once.
notes
Cut the potatoes into larger chunks than the cauliflower because cauliflower takes longer to cook in this method.
We add the drained vegetables back to the stockpot to cook for a few minutes to get rid of any excess water, which leads to a more flavorful dish.
Aromatics (garlic and thyme) are added to the cooking water to add flavor.
This mash will not be as smooth as it would be with just potatoes. The cauliflower adds a lovely texture.
To make this dairy free, use olive oil instead of butter and your preferred choice of plant-based milk.
Always use a potato masher or potato ricer when making mashed potatoes. A hand-held or stand mixer will produce gummy potatoes.
White pepper is used because black pepper adds a grey color to the final dish. If you don’t have white, it is perfectly fine to use black pepper!
You can make the mash a few hours ahead. Just add more milk and butter when you reheat before serving.
