Brielle's Avalon

I bought cauliflower but ended up not needing it for what I bought it for. I found leftover ham in the fridge. I had acquired black garlic at an import store on a whim. My herb garden is growing again and my chickens are laying. No potatoes. *sigh* How can I make a potato crust without shredded/grated potatoes mixed with eggs? Never mind, there’s tater thingies in the freezer! The dinner I didn’t know I was making until this afternoon is saved!

Ingredients: Tater thingies (to avoid using brand names), onion, cheese, cauliflower, garlic (black or normal), herbs, ham, tomato. These are just what I happened to have, you can substitute what you have to make your own impromptu dinner pie.

So. Grease (or spray with oil) a pie tin and lay in a bunch of tater thingies and wait until they thaw.

Once thawed, smash them into submission as a crust. It’s easy, really, because they’re made with something that binds them together anyway. Just make sure to schmoosh together any holes.

Add a layer of chopped onion.

Add a layer of cheese.

Add the cauliflower.

Add garlic. You can use normal garlic or even leave it out if you want to.

Add salt, pepper and herbs from your garden (or spice shelf). I used thyme, basil and tarragon this time.

Add ham. Ideally I should have added the ham before the cauliflower, but I forgot to pull it out of the fridge and have it in line on the counter. So much for planning! Oh, right, this wasn’t really planned anyway so that’s OK.

Another layer of cheese and the bit of tomato leftover from the sandwich you made the other day. or bell pepper. Or slices of fennel. Or whatever…or nothing. But more cheese is good.

Now whisk up an egg and some milk, pour it over the whole batch and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is done, fork-tender.

Drizzle with truffle oil if you have it (another impulse buy at an import store).

Serve with a hunk of good bread, a roll or a croissant made from the leftovers of your dessert tart and brie baked in puff pastry. A nice green salad would be nice, too. Wine, tea, soda or the beverage of your choice is up to you. Have fun making yummy cuisine from your leftovers and extras.

UPDATE! :

If you don’t have frozen tater puffy-things or just prefer to use fresh potatoes, do this:

Grate a couple potatoes, 2 or 3 depending on their size.

Drain the excess liquid, pressing a bit. You can add this to soups, stews or meat loafs if you don’t want top waste it.

Mix with onion, celery, egg and spices and press into a pie tin or casserole.

add a layer of cauliflower with onions on top

add pepper, garlic and basil or whatever spices you like. Thyme and tarragon are nice, but whatever you have on hand. If you have some bacon in the freezer you can break some on for flavour unless you don’t do bacon.

Add a layer of cheese and pour on a mixture of 3 or 4 eggs with milk and maybe some cream whisked in.

Bake at 350 for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the cheese is melted, the egg mixture has firmed up and, if you like, the cheese has started to brown.

Serve with whatever you’re having as a main course or use it as the main course. Good with a salad (picked fresh from the garden, of course). fresh-baked bread and the beverage of your choice.

As you can see, a basic recipe can take quite a few turns to end up in slightly different ways, using what you happen to have at the time.