Spinach Gratin
By maxwells4
Excerpt from Food52 Holiday Recipe and Survival Guide, Hesser and Stubbs, 1st edition.
- 8
Ingredients
- Three 16-ounce bags of frozen organic chopped spinach, thawed
- 3 cups whole milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinches of cayenne
- 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Sea salt to taste
- Excerpt from Food52 Holiday Recipe and Survival Guide, Hesser and Stubbs, 1st edition.
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the oven to 400º F. Squeeze the liquid from the thawed spinach, handful by handful. Set aside.
Heat the milk to scalding in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onions and cook until softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the hot milk and whisk the sauce until it thickens. Add the nutmeg and cayenne. Turn off the heat.
Stir in the Gruyère and season with salt and white pepper. Add the spinach and mix in well. Spread into a 9 by 11-inch glass or earthenware baking dish. Set aside.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet. Add the panko, sprinkle with sea salt and stir until lightly toasted. This occurs quite suddenly.
Gently smooth the toasted panko on top of the gratin. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until bubbling