Recipe: Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower

"R" and I recently made this recipe to accompany a "skinny" meatloaf. The addition of cauliflower really lightened up the texture and flavor of the mashed potatoes. Maybe a great way to hide some vegetables for your children too?

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower (makes 3 cups, total time = 45 minutes)

Boil:
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
1/2 lb. cauliflower florets
4 garlic cloves, peeled

Mash With; Garnish With:
1/3 cup buttermilk or 2% milk; warmed
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
salt, white pepper, ground nutmeg to taste
chopped fresh chives

Boil Potatoes, cauliflower, and garlic in a pot of salted water until tender when pierced with a knife. 15-20 minutes.
Drain, return vegetables to the pot, and cook over medium heat until excess water is evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute.
Mash vegetables with warm buttermilk and butter using a hand mixer on low speed until smooth.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Garnish with chives before serving.

We served this side dish with a Mushroom Sherry Sauce. This sauce would be great on beef as well.

Mushroom Sherry Sauce (makes 1 cup, total time = 25 minutes)

Fry; Add and Sauté:
1 strip thick-sliced bacon, diced
3 cups mixed mushrooms, halved or quartered (5.5 oz.)
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste

Deglaze With; Add and Simmer:
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken broth

Finish With:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and return pan with drippings to the burner. Add mushrooms and shallots, and sauté until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour and tomato paste, cook 1 minute.
Deglaze with sherry and simmer until evaporated. Gradually add broth, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Finish sauce with reserved bacon, butter, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

This recipe is from the February 2008 issue of Cuisine at Home magazine.