Twice Baked Faux-tatoes

I have been craving potatoes lately.

What's funny about this is the fact that my mom made potatoes every single night when I was a kid, and I loathed them.

I'd palm them and wrap them in my napkin in order to deposit them into the nearest trash receptacle without being detected.

While I still use the potato shell here (which is deliciously edible, by the way), I use cauliflower in place of the potato flesh to put a different, low carb spin on the traditional baked potato.

The addition of nutritional yeast and coconut oil gives this a richness and a cheesiness without using tons of butter and cheese, a plus for everyone!

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Twice Baked Faux-tatoes

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings: 2 potato halves

Author: Lauren Goslin

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Yukon Gold or russet potato
• ▢ 3 cups cauliflower chopped into small florets
• ▢ 1 large garlic clove
• ▢ water for boiling
• ▢ 1-2 Tablespoons coconut oil or butter plus a bit more for rubbing on the skins
• ▢ ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons scallion chopped
• ▢ black pepper, cayenne, paprika, and fresh parsley to taste

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Wash and prick the potato with a fork multiple times.
• Bake the potato for one hour.
• Meanwhile, add the cauliflower, garlic clove, and a dash of salt to a saucepan.
• Add enough water just to cover the cauliflower.
• Bring the cauliflower to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer.
• Cover the pan, and let it simmer for 10 minutes until soft.
• Strain the cauliflower from the water, reserving the water in a separate bowl.
• Using a potato masher or a food processor, mash or puree the cauliflower with one tablespoon of coconut oil, sea salt, dashes of black pepper and cayenne, and scallions. Add the reserved boiling water as needed to give the mix the consistency you desire (I used about one tablespoon).
• Once the potatoes have baked and cooled, slice them in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh. Be sure to leave enough flesh to give the potato skin structure!
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Rub the outside of the potato skins with a bit of coconut oil (this makes them nice and crispy!).
• Arrange the empty skins in a small baking dish, and fill them with the cauliflower mix.
• Sprinkle the tops with paprika, and bake them for 30 minutes.
• Garnish them with fresh parsley and top them with the remaining tablespoon of butter or coconut oil.

Notes

Nutrition facts are an estimate based on using the whole potato (as there is no nutrition calculator for just the potato skin).

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcalCarbohydrates: 30.4gProtein: 6.4gFat: 4.9gFiber: 8.1gSugar: 5.4g

As I stated in the recipe box above, the nutritional information actually includes the potato flesh, as I didn't know how to subtract it, so keep that in mind for calories and carbs, especially. The cauliflower mash nutrition facts are as follows:

• Calories: 93
• Fat: 4.9 g
• Carbs: 10.4 g
• Fiber: 4.8 g
• Protein: 4.7 g
• WW points: 2

I have to say, these are fantastic! My husband and I each had a half, and we kept saying to one another how delicious they were. We topped them with some pumpkin seed 'bacon' bits which added a nice crunch!

I really enjoy eating the crispy skins as well. It gives you a bite of the actual potato, along with the cauliflower mash.

If you don't want to use the potato skins, the cauliflower mash is delicious on its own. It makes a light, yet filling substitute for mashed potatoes.