Creamy cauliflower with Gruyere is a side worthy of ribs

Now is the perfect time to slow-simmer beef short ribs. I'm lucky to have a farmers market source that raises grass-fed cattle. When I ask if he's got any short ribs and he says yes, I buy as many as I can store in my refrigerator's freezer.

Then, when the weather keeps me inside doing my best to stay warm without going into debt (like right now), I make short ribs using a bottle of not-very-expensive red wine and beef broth, along with onions and garlic sauteed in some beef fat.

All grass-fed beef raised in the pasture throughout their life makes the meat lean and, unfortunately, not too tender. Over the years, experimenting with how to make those beef short ribs fall-off-the-bone tender, I found that a long, low-heat braise in a 225-degree oven works the best. By long, I mean five hours.

While my short ribs braised, I thought about what would make a good side dish. Mashed potatoes drizzled with gravy made from the liquid my short ribs were cooking in came to mind. However, that would be too many carbohydrates for this low-carb guy. Hmmm.

I recalled seeing a recipe for Fondue Mashed Potatoes on Food Network's website. I zipped over and took a look. Ree Drummond's recipe was meant to be like a classic fondue, a warmed pot of cheese that could have different things dipped in. The traditional fondue: cubed firm bread dipped into a cheese mixture made with some added wine.

Drummond blended mashed potatoes with whipping cream (a whopping 1½ cups), a stick of butter and a pound of Gruyere cheese. Drummond's fondue certainly tasted great - guaranteed.

I took Drummond's recipe's basics, cut the calories and carbs and trimmed the fat. Here's how.

Instead of mashed potatoes, I went with about half the weight of steamed cauliflower (25 ounces versus 48 ounces), to which I added a mere ¼-cup whipping cream, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, and 6 ounces Gruyere cheese.

The switch to cauliflower made a dramatic difference, eliminating 71% of the calories. Comparing the same volume, the calories went from 610 to 177. For the same comparative volume, carbs went from 142 grams to 35 grams - a big difference.

My food processor turned the steamed cauliflower into a relatively smooth puree. Next, I added whipping cream, butter, kosher salt and ground white pepper. When that was smooth, I added the grated Gruyere, which, as processed, easily melted into the mixture.

I decided the mixture was sufficiently rich without adding gravy. Topping each serving with chopped parsley added color to my white, cheesy mashed cauliflower.

Now, the critical part is, how did it taste? There was no way this could be anything but terrific. Adding gravy would have been gilding that lily. How can you go wrong with those ingredients?

Give it a try.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

Low-Carb Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower (about 1½ pounds)

¼ cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature (organic preferred)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces (organic preferred)

6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand Kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Rinse the cauliflower under cold water. Trim the cauliflower leaves and the stem end and discard. Cut the cauliflower into florets and cut the stem into pieces.

Add cold water to a 5-quart saucepan, place a steamer basket in the bottom, add the cauliflower and cover. Place over high heat and when the water begins to boil, lower the heat so the water simmers. Steam for 15 minutes or until a knife easily slips into a piece of cauliflower. Drain the cauliflower.

Using tongs, transfer the hot cauliflower to a food processor, and process for 30 seconds or until smooth. Add cream and butter, and process until combined. Add salt, pepper and half the cheese and process until smooth, about 15 seconds. Add the remaining cheese, processing until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serves 6

Nutrition values per serving: 214 calories (71.5% from fat), 17 g fat (10.1 g saturated fat), 6 g carbohydrates (3.8 net carbs), 2.3 g sugars, 2.3 g fiber, 11 g protein, 55 mg cholesterol, 320 mg sodium.

Don Mauer