Fauxtatoes, improved and thicker

As I have shared with anyone willing to listen, one of my favorite low-carb recipes is 'fauxtatoes', which is a mashed potatoe replacement made with cauliflower. The only real drawback to this recipe is that the fauxtatoes don't turn out quite as thick as real mashed potatoes.

So tonight Young and I experimented with Xanthan Gum as a thickening ingredient.

In our case we added two teaspoons of Xanthan Gum to the basic recipe after seasoning with salt/pepper. We added the Xanthan Gum directly to the food processor and pulsed for about 20 seconds. In our case, we used 2 teaspoons. The outcome was some very light and fluffly mashed potatoes. The texture was much better than plain fauxtatoes, and a big improvement over an already teriffic recipe.

Next time, we'll probably use only one teaspoon, for a slightly less fluffy texture. I've also got some Guar Gum that I'm planning to test out. The sage will continue. Oh, and I found both Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum for sale in the baking aisle at Whole Foods.


Thickened Fauxtatoes
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1 head cauliflower
1/3 cup cream

4 oz cream cheese (half a block)
1 tbsp butter (I usually use a bit more)
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
salt & pepper
Option: 1 tbsp minced garlic (Young and I really like the garlic)
Option: shredded cheese (we used parmesean last time, very nice)

Cut and clean the cauliflower, place into large pot. Just cover with water, and pour in the cream. Bring to a boil and continue bioling until nice and soft. Once cooked, drain off water/cream.

Put cauliflower into food processor along with cream cheese (broken into chunks) and butter. Puree 30 seconds at a time until smooth. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and/or cheese to taste. Give it one last puree to make sure it's all mixed together nicely. Then add the Xanthan gum, and pulse for 15 seconds. Check the texture, and add another 1/2 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum if you like your fauxtatoes fluffier.