You think you miss potatoes, you do. I get it, sometimes I think I do, too.

This, like a new lover, will help you fucking forget.

Slutty Truffled Cauliflower Gratin

 

INGREDIENTS

7 tablespoons butter, divided  (grass-fed if possible)
3 cups half & half or heavy cream
1 cup truffled pecorino cheese, grated, or more to taste
1 cup monterrey jack cheese  (more to thicken sauce if desired)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 large head cauliflower, cored and separated into florets
2 tablespoons crumbled pork rinds (optional, but great for texture)
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or more to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, or to taste
White Truffle Oil (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.

Melt remainder of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Gradually add milk and cheese to butter. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and comes to a simmer, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg into milk mixture until cheese sauce thickens. Depending on the “truffle-ness” of your cheese, you may want to add a drop or 3 of truffle oil – DO NOT GO NUTS with this, there is definitely such a thing as too much and there’s no way to roll it back.

TIP:  You can make this sauce thicker, if you’d like, by whisking 1/4 C lower carb flour, such as coconut, almond, or sesame flour into the melted butter at the beginning of these instructions and cooking 1-2 minutes until the raw flour taste is gone. But, if you’re watching every single carb like I am at the moment, you can omit and just thicken with MORE GLORIOUS CHEESE.

Bring a large pot of with a a steamer few inches of salted water to a boil; add cauliflower and cook until slightly tender, about 6-8 minutes (check with a fork). Transfer cauliflower (sans liquid) to prepared baking dish. Spread cheese sauce evenly over cauliflower. If desired, dust with pork rind crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh chives.

Serve and/or rub all over you body when cooled to a “non-skin blistering” temp.  Pairs great with beef tenderloin, a rack of lamb, and is just fine when eaten directly out of the pan.