A friend I know is on a low carbohydrate diet and tries to cut carbs wherever he can. He recommended Cauliflower mash to top cottage pie. I never tried it, but I wanted cottage pie and only had one potato in the house. What is a cook to do. Well obviously use the cauliflower I had been saving for another batch of gobi manchurian but was too lazy to cook.
I doubt I will ever make cottage pie with mashed potatoes again. Lesson learned! The improved texture of the mash and the extra flavor made a huge difference.
- Cauliflower ~1 head
- the potato I had
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup of half and half
- Ground beef about 1 pound
- Frozen peas about 1 cup
- Cubed carrots about 1 cup
- chopped onion about 1 cup
- 5-6 gloves of garlic chopped
- 1 can sliced mushrooms
- chopped celery about 1 cup
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pack of Mushroom gravy mix
- 1 cup of caldo de rez
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp cornstarch in water
Well I did not have a whole head of cauliflower and only one potato, so I honestly used both. I had snacked on the cauliflower to finish off some garlic hummus I had in the fridge, so not really enough, so I used my last potato too. A quick steam in the Instapot about 5 minutes plus venting with both inside on the steaming tray. and just mash them together with a pinch of salt, a little butter and 1/4 cup of half and half. I don’t do diet so use butter.
I made the filling, While the mash was steaming. Pretty simple mix. Brown the ground beef, then add the onions and soften. Once the onions are soft add the carrots for about 2 minutes. Once they are on their way, add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the peas and then the mushroom gravy mix( in cold water as directed). I also added 1 cup of beef bullion at this time. I also added Salt and pepper to taste along with the oregano and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the mix covered until the mashed mixture is ready about 20 minutes. I added the celery and drained can of mushrooms about half way through the simmer as I don’t like them to get soggy. Finally finish with a little corn starch and water to thicken up the remaining gravy.
cauliflower_mash_cottage_pie_filling 
cauliflower_mash_cottage_pie_prep 
cauliflower_mash_cottage_pie_browned
So just like normal cottage pie. I put in the only oven safe vessels I have. Mini spring form pans and topped it with the mashed mixture. I put the pans on a baking sheet covered in parchment for easy clean up, as the spring forms leak a bit. I will get some reasonable ramekins one day that are a useful and uniform size. Broiled them to get a light brow on the top and this meal prep is considered complete. However, the mini spring forms make it easy to pop out the cooled pie for reheating in the microwave. They are also perfect single serving portions about 3 inches in diameter.