THE BEST CREAMED SPINACH GRATIN EVER

Steps

1. Preheat oven 425℉.
2. In a large pot, add a few inches of water and a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil. You don’t need a lot of water because we want to simply boil the spinach for about a minute and then squeeze it out. A few inches in a big pot should come to a boil quickly.
3. Add the spinach and use tongs to push it and toss it in the water to make sure all the spinach is coated with water. Boil for one minute.
4. Drain spinach and run under cold water to cool quickly. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. I simply push it down in the strainer. Just make sure to get any excess water out so it doesn’t thin the sauce too much.
5. Roughly chop the spinach. Set aside.
6. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, until soft and translucent, about 3 - 4 minutes.
7. Whisk In garlic and stir until fragrant. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
8. Whisk for a minute or two then slowly pour in the milk and cream and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Combine the spinach and the sauce in the skillet.
11. Mix in half of the Romano and half of the Gruyere. Now taste and adjust for salt because the cheese has salt already.
12. Transfer into a 9-inch pie dish or small baking dish.
13. Top with remaining Romano and Gruyere cheese.
14. I like to place this on a baking sheet before baking because this does bubble. Plus it makes for easy removal. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbling. If the top isn’t golden brown, place it under the broiler for a minute or two.
15. There will be fat bubbling on top of this and it can’t be avoided. This is a rich dish. When you remove it from the oven, you can gently pat it with a paper towel to remove excess fat - or not.