Creamed Spinach

The thing I like best to eat with spinach is spanakopita.  But phyllo dough is so intimidating and fussy.  Plus I never have enough of the right kind of cheese.  So, I’ll leave that to the experts and leave you instead with this equally as delicious creamed spinach dish. This is one of those recipes that both gets me eating a lot of greens and is also buttery, rich and satisfying.  Win.  It’s great as a side dish, or with a crusty piece of buttered bread and a poached egg for breakfast. The inspiration for this recipe came from smittenkitchen.com.

—Jenna Muller

1/2 pound spinach
1 & 3/4 cups heavy cream or whole milk, or a mix
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
pinch of nutmeg

Wash your spinach, but do not dry.  Place it in a large pot over high heat.  Cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, for 2-6 minutes, depending on how large your spinach is (2 minutes for baby spinach, longer for larger leaves).

Squeeze out the excess liquid.  You can just scoop it up in your hands and squeeze it out over the sink, or put it in cheesecloth and wring it out, or put it in a mesh strainer and press down as hard as you can.  Coarsely chop the spinach.  Wipe out your pot. Heat the milk or cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until warm. Keep warm.  Meanwhile, cook the onion, garlic and butter in your wiped out pot.  Cook over low heat, stirring, for about 6 minutes.  Whisk in the flour and cook the roux, for about 3 minutes.  Add the milk/cream in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly for about 3 minutes, or until thickened.  Stir in the nutmeg, spinach and a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.