Cauliflower Baked Chicken (w/ Italian Herbs & Spices)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Then chop your cauliflower into small florets (no larger than 1 inch on any side), and place them into a large mixing bowl.
2. Mince the garlic and add it to the cauliflower, and then measure and add just 2 Tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon salt to the cauliflower & garlic in your bowl. Toss everything together until each floret has been coated with a thin layer of oil, salt, and garlic bits, then arrange them in a single layer on the silicone mat (placed on top of your baking sheet). Bake the mixture for 20 minutes.
3. Take the tray out of the oven. Measure the Italian seasoning & rosemary, and sprinkle them onto the cauliflower before lightly mixing the florets with a spatula and returning it all to the oven. Rotate the tray to the other side, then bake for another 10 minutes. This is a good time to slice your remaining two cloves of garlic into thin strips.
4. Your cauliflower should be evenly browned after 10 minutes, so take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes, preferably on a surface far from the stovetop. If you have a lot of browned or burnt garlic and you don't enjoy that flavor, this is a good time to take your spatula and remove all that from the tray before making your mash.
5. Reset your oven temperature to 400°F/205°C and turn on the convection setting, then line a medium-sized baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving a little extra foil on either side to cover the chicken during baking. If you haven't already, now is the time to slice your remaining two cloves of garlic very thin. Cut your chicken breasts to make your 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken into 6-8 pieces, then place them in your foil-lined dish. Drizzle over your Tablespoon of oil, then sprinkle on the sumac and garlic slices, making sure each piece of chicken is evenly-coated.
6. Fold the extra foil over your chicken breast, then bake them for 20 minutes.
7. While your chicken is starting to cook, grab a large bowl and scrape all your cooled cauliflower into it, and then grab a potato masher and lay into them for a minute or two. Alternately, just scrape everything into a blender or Vitamix and move on to the next step.
8. Taking your immersion blender in hand (or locating the button on your blender), add 6 Tablespoons of your milk of choice to the florets and then blend it all together until smooth, adding more milk by the Tablespoon until you reach the consistency of mashed potatoes; I tend to prefer 8 or 9 Tablespoons, but everyone is different. Removing your chicken from the oven, place it on the stovetop and then pull back the aluminum foil. Your chicken should be white on the outside, but will remain partially uncooked on the inside. Scrape all your puree onto the chicken breasts, spreading it evenly across the top so the whole mixture cooks evenly like a pie.
9. Return your chicken to the oven, cooking another 10 minutes before checking the temperature with a meat thermometer. If it's not done, you can continue baking for another 3-5 minutes until the centers of the chicken breasts reach 165°F/75°C. Once done, take of bite of your finished dish to see if it's salted to your taste, and if not, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt across the rest of it.
10. Then simply plate and serve it with a sprinkle of chopped basil (optional), preferably with a side of root vegetables, like roasted sweet potatoes or blistered carrots.