Fauxtato Salad

Picture of Cauliflower "potato" Salad

This is a perfect summer side dish. Make it the night before if possible to enhance the flavors. I brought it to my brother’s recently for a BBQ and it was a hit! One person thought it was real potato salad and my husband, who is quite the food critic (we used to own a restaurant), said it was really good! My friend, Elaine, gave me a recipe that I really only used as the "bones" of my own recipe and I urge you to do the same. You might like a little more of this or a little more of that. 

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds cauliflower (I found this to be one medium-sized head – if your store has scales hanging in the produce department, put one in and get one that is about 1 ¾–2 pounds. You will be doing some trimming.)

1 cup mayonnaise (I use this one) made with avocado oil, but if you want to totally eliminate sugar you can make your own. I happen to like mayonnaise, but you are welcome to start with ½ cup and move upwards. If you don’t want to go so heavy on the fat, I would cut the amount in half rather than use a fat-free mayonnaise. A low-fat mayonnaise would work, though.

Optional: My friend’s recipe called for Dijon mustard. I thought it made the dressing too vinegary, but I am just letting you know that you can add it to taste.

¼ cup (or more) celery in a small dice 

¼ cup (or more) onion in a small dice 

¼ cup (or more) green bell pepper in a small dice 

5 hard-boiled eggs (the original recipe used 6, but I found that too eggy: Use as many as you want!) 

½ (or more) teaspoon of salt (to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Directions

  1. Break the cauliflower into small pieces. I had to cut some of the larger pieces that wouldn’t break apart. Put in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil for 7–10 minutes. Drain in a colander and run cold water over it or cover with ice. You have to stop the cooking.

  2. After bringing the eggs to their hard-boiled doneness, plunge them into cold water or cover with ice. Separate eggs into yolks and whites. Mash the yolks and dice the whites and add to the cauliflower.

  3. Mix the diced vegetables into the mayonnaise and add salt and pepper, and mustard, if using.

  4. Mix all the ingredients together and chill overnight, if possible. The flavors are much better the next day after they have had time to meld and chill.