Easy Cheesy Pureed Cauliflower with Smoked Gouda (and a Dijon Cream Mushroom Omelette to boot)

I win so much.

At least when it comes to this meal.

I have heard about fauxtatoes for a while-- subbing in cauliflower for mashed potatoes, ya know.  Yet, every time I had cauliflower tucked away in my larder (do I even have a larder?), it somehow ended up roasted.  Because roasted cauliflower is also a major win.

However, somehow I knew, I just KNEW, when I saw this latest head of cauliflower that it was meant for puree.  And somehow I know, I just KNOW that my next head of cauliflower is headed in the same direction.  But while this time I used smoked gouda for my cheese, next time I might go a little baked potato-y with sour cream and cheddar.  And chives.  And bacon.  I think I might win before I even start playing this game.

This is really an amazing dish.  It obviously tastes and feels a little different from regular potatoes, but the richness of the cheese gives a great mouthfeel and provides the cohesion starch usually does.

As for the rest of the meal, it was a super simple omelette with leftover dijon cream mushrooms, which I make regularly and wrote about here.  The combination was remarkable.  Very earthy and rich while made from fairly humble ingredients (except the smoked gouda, which is obviously just luxury in a slice).  It also looked gorgeous on the plate-- I would have been happy eating this at a restaurant.

How to make easy cheesy mashed cauliflower (general method taken from this brilliant lady):
Chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.  Put in microwaveable dish and add 1 T butter and 1 T cream.  Cover and microwave for 5 minutes.   Shake/stir to coat the veggies and pop back in the microwave for 4 minutes.  Blend in processor with 2 oz smoked gouda.

How a lazy person makes an omelette:
Crack eggs (2-3 per person) and use a whisk to beat for about a minute.  Add a pinch of salt to season.  As for the actual cooking, I am super lazy with omelettes and flipping.  My pan doesn't release really well, so I usually heat the skillet, put down a layer of oil, pour in the eggs and set to low until it's juuuuuuust about cooked through.  Then I put my fillings in and fold over.  I get a lovely brown bottom and a perfectly untorn omelette that happily slides onto a plate.  For Tom and I, I simply make one big omelette and cut it in half.