Yet ANOTHER Cauliflower Recipe

I love potato salad! A more accurate statement would be that, I love potato salad when I make it. My recipe has lots of onion and two extra egg yolks and some of the skin left on the potatoes and… Enough, right? You get it already! You’ve deduced that I like to build big flavor around a potato.

Today we are all in love with the cauliflower--we rice it, steam it, roast it, mash it and even turn it into a mock potato salad. Well, why not. It’s loaded with nutrition, a reasonable amount of protein, it gives us a generous amount of roughage and it’s a low-carb option to the fully carb-loaded potato. Ah, poor potato. The truth is, there is no substitute for the yummm that we get from a potato, but the carb-gentle cauliflower does a pretty good job of sitting in for the potato in your summer salad bowl.

Try my recipe and see if it stands up against your favorite potato salad recipe.

Cauliflower (Potato) Salad

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Gather all of the ingredients in one place. Prep work is key.

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower cut into even-sized florets to equal anywhere from 10-12 cups (depending on the actual size of your cauliflower and size of your florets)

6 hard boiled eggs (discard 2 of the cooked whites--the two cooked yolks will add a richness to the salad dressing)

1 c diced red onion

½ c sliced green onion

½ c chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley

6 oz bacon, diced, cooked and drained on a paper towel (will yield about ½ cup of cooked bacon)

4 T white vinegar

1 ½  t salt*

¼  t ground black pepper*

¾  t celery seed*

4 large cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped

6 T Dijon mustard*

1 ½ c mayonnaise*

*These ingredients are for 10 cups of cauliflower. The size of cauliflower can vary quite a bit, so if your cauliflower yields more than 10-12 cups of florets, these ingredients may need to be adjusted up a bit.

The gentle mixing begins

Instructions:

Cook cauliflower florets about five minutes in a big pot of salted, boiling water. Cook until tender but still firm or the salad will turn into a mushy mess. Drain and spread out on a kitchen towel or large sheet pan to absorb excess water and cool down a bit.

While cauliflower is still warm, cut each floret into smaller pieces (as you would a potato for potato salad) and then put into a large bowl and toss with the vinegar.

Cut the eggs and 2 egg yolks into small dice and add to the cauliflower. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and celery seeds. Toss lightly with your ultra-clean hands or two spatulas.

Top with remaining ingredients (onion, green onion, bacon, parsley) and toss again to distribute evenly.

Top with mayonnaise and mustard. Using two large serving spoons, toss gently until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

You may wish to reserve a little of the red onion, green onion and parsley to top the salad with just before serving.