Spicy Southern Fried Cauliflower and Delta Dipping Sauce with Smashed Baked Potatoes and White Gravy and Buffalo Mac & Cheese

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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In my hunt for other recipes meant to provide a cauliflower version of fried chicken, I ran into THIS post about Popeye’s Fried Chicken. Here is a picture from that site:

I have never eaten at Popeye’s or any other fried chicken joint (except KFC & Dinah’s here in Glendale) and I haven’t tasted ANY fried chicken in over 25 years – but my boyfriend Miles eats it all the time. In fact, he eats it weekly now that the famous Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken opened a few blocks away from him in downtown Little Rock. Miles is always sending me (at my request) pictures of the food he eats & I find myself looking at fried chicken so much – I have developed an undeniable craving for it. And – that blogger that spoke of an incredible meal at Popeye’s didn’t help. And that Delta sauce? I liked the sound of it & a few clicks here & there revealed that Popeye’s discontinued it. In fact, there seems to be quite a bit of hand-wringing going on about the now-unavailable Delta Sauce and that piqued my curiosity. Fortunately, the blogger who loved the Delta sauce posted a copycat recipe for it & I could not resist. So – I made it & I include that recipe here. It is like a spicy Thousand Island dressing & it is INCREDIBLE on my – wait for it – Southern Fried Cauliflower!

Doesn’t that look just like a fried chicken plate? I was so Goddamn happy with myself yesterday – you have no idea. If you make any of my zillions of cauliflower recipes – I have to say – it should be THIS one! So easy & so delicious! And if, like me, you don’t eat meat but the reasons for that do not include any distaste for meat products – this might really satisfy any existing fried chicken craving you might be in denial about.

That plate above includes yesterday’s recipe for Buffalo Mac & Pepper Jack Cheese.

It also includes some smashed baked potatoes & a vegetarian white gravy.

This is quite a decadent meal & the perfect fix on those days when the hole in your heart is bigger than your ass & you just don’t give a fuck. You wanna eat & you wanna eat something bad. This is as Paula Deen as I am likely to get but even with this dish – the fried chicken is really cauliflower & there is no bacon (or other meat) fat in any of it (excepting egg & milk) & the potatoes were made with a minimum of butter & WATER – because I’d run out of milk. So – seriously – AT LEAST try the southern fried cauliflower & Delta dipping sauce. I am certain you will enjoy!

Spicy Southern Fried Cauliflower and Delta Dipping Sauce with Smashed Baked Potatoes and White Gravy and Buffalo Mac & Cheese

(This feeds about two (very well) so increase the recipes if you are feeding more. The mac & cheese recipe feeds at least 4.)

INGREDIENTS

For the Southern Fried Cauliflower

(depending on the size of your cauliflower – you may need more or less of the other ingredients – so maybe have extra on hand)

1 head cauliflower

2 vegan eggs

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce

2 cups flour

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp each of S&P

1 tsp chipotle chili powder (or smoked or regular paprika)

1 tsp garlic powder

Lots of vegetable oil for frying

1 gallon zip lock baggy (not necessary but it makes life easier)

For the Delta dipping sauce

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1/8 cup sambal oelek (or other chili sauce)

1/8 cup ketchup

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2-3 dashes hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or another brand)

1 garlic clove – minced

For the smashed baked potatoes

2 large potatoes

olive oil

2 TBS vegan butter

S&P

For the white gravy

2 TBS vegan butter

1 large shallot – minced

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1/2 tsp dry sage

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

For the Buffalo Mac & Cheese

See HERE

DIRECTIONS

For the Delta dipping sauce

Whisk the ingredients together & chill.

For the Smashed Baked Potatoes

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub olive oil on the potatoes & sprinkle with salt. Bake them – DIRECTLY on the oven rack – for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven & allow to cool a bit. Peel the potatoes (I left bits of skin & browned spots for some color) & mash them up with the butter & some salt & pepper and as much milk or water (I used water as I was out of milk) as you need to get to a texture you like. I used an old school hand masher & left them chunky & on the drier side. I smashed them a bit more at the end with an immersion blender. You do it however you like.

For the white gravy

Heat the butter in a sauce pan & add the bouillon cube & the shallots. Cook a minute or two until the shallots soften & the bouillon cube is dissolved. Add the flour, sage & salt and pepper & stir constantly for about 2 minutes. It should be quite dry. Add the milk 1/2 cup at a time & allow it to thicken. Continue until all the milk is incorporated and heat until the gravy is at your desired thickness. Add milk if it is too thick.

For the Southern Fried Cauliflower

In a bowl – whisk together the eggs, water & hot sauce.

In a zip lock bag or in a deep bowl – blend the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients.

Cut the cauliflower into the largest “drummettes” possible so they resemble chicken thighs & a few wings. I sprayed my cauliflower with water so the flour mix would stick.

Put the cauliflower in the flour mix & toss to coat. Dunk into the egg mix until covered & then back into the flour. Coat again with the flour.

I do not have a thermometer to measure oil temp but I think 350 is the correct temperature for frying. I just let it get hot, put one drummette in there & once that started bubbling pretty rapidly – I added a few more pieces

Turn a few times & fry until they are a golden brown all over. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all the cauliflower is cooked. Now – just divvy up the goodness & fill up that whole in your heart with some old school home cooking!