Best recipes for leftovers: Cauliflower cheese with mashed potato
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Kitchen equipment, Leftovers, Pork Ham Bacon Sausages, Vegetables and Sides | 9 comments
Photo: Cauliflower head
Danny likes our cauliflower cheese especially when I add ham and tomatoes and serve it with garlic bread. Quite often I pick up 6 pints of milk from the Tesco CFC and make it into white sauce, ladled into plastic zip lock bags and frozen flat in the freezer. This takes the strain out of making CC as the palaver of making the sauce is already done. The sauce can be gently heated from frozen in a sauté pan. Then all you have to do is add the cheese.
I discovered that my cauliflower bought in the market with suspiciously long leaves was the size of a grapefruit.
“Never mind.” I thought. “It will be padded out with the garlic bread.”
But I’d forgotten the garlic bread.
In a panicky search through the fridge I discovered some left over mashed potato and a piece of elderly Stilton. Danny is not keen on reheated mash but he was up in The Rat Room happily unaware of the crisis. I wrapped some mashed potato, chopped tomatoes and a sprinkle of stilton in a piece of ham. Our enamel pie dish could accommodate four of these plump treats. As the dish heats up very fast it is perfect for this recipe. Incidentally, Mandi suggested using one of these to make perfect Toad in the Hole. I invested in one and she’s right -they also look pretty and old fashioned.
While the elfin cauliflower was cooking I heated up the sauce and added grated cheddar and a dash of garlic granules. I poured some of the hot sauce over the ham parcels distributed the cauli over the top and added the rest of the sauce. I sprinkled it with grated cheese and popped the pie dish into Andrew to heat through the parcels and gradually brown the top. This took about 10 minutes at 160c.
It was a triumph. Danny adored it. Much better than cauliflower cheese and a baked potato. So bad luck Min Pins – no more mashed potato treats for you.
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I have been an avid follower for a few years now of this brilliant blog and have used stacks of your ideas,thank you 🙂
had to comment finally,I have been making cauliflower cheese with mash for going on 20 years now,its a firm family favorite.
last week I made mustard mash with a touch of grain mustard on the bottom then a layer of thickly sliced good ham,then the cauliflower followed by the cheese sauce sprinkled with more cheese(there can never be to much) finished off under the grill. perfect comfort food. so pleased to see others with the same ideas 🙂
Hi Toffeeapple
It was surprisingly good.
Hi Danast
I do like playing with recipes like this to tempt D to eat less meat.
Hi Cookie Girl
Yes I love the dish too and use it a lot. Somehow the potato just worked really well.
Hi Peter
Oh that sounds delish! Cant wait to try that out.
Hi Raenbow
Salami is a nice twist. Thanks.
Hello Cara
If you are in the mood for making white sauce it only takes a bit longer to make six pints than it does to make one.
Hi Sue
Thanks for dropping by!
What a great save Fiona. I’ll have to try this myself.
Oh yum, that sounds lovely. Cracking idea on the white sauce too – I’d never thought about doing that, but such a great idea.
Was just going to add, my kids love cauli macaroni (the only way to get them to eat cauliflower)sometimes I add some chopped ham or even Salami, Peter. Think I will do this next week as it has been ages….
I made a variation, which I assume came from you, last night. Though I say so myself, it was delicious!! Cheese sauce, with a pinch of cayenne and a few garlic granules. A layer on the bottom of the dish, then cooked bacon pieces, lightly cooked broccoli, cooked macaroni, all topped with the remainder of the cheese sauce, a sprinkle of cheese and then baked for about 15 minutes at 200 for a crust. Very quick to prepare.
This sounds lovely – can never face just cauliflower and cottage cheese so this combination sounds yum! And I love the dish !
Sounds wonderful. It’s amazing what you can concoct when you have to and isn’t it great when it turns our so well. I shall be trying this recipe soon. Tickled my taste buds!
That sounds so delicious that my tummy has started to rumble. Must get OH to make some mash so that we can have a bash at this. Thanks Fiona, and Chief Tester Danny.