A Christmas Holiday Classic: Creamed Spinach

Creamed spinach, in all its creamy gooey magnificence, is an absolute requirement when serving a thick juicy steak, prime rib, or roast beef. This is cold-weather comfort food at its finest, and a great way to get those healthy greens into those who may otherwise turn their noses up at the thought of eating a vegetable.

There’s a reason why this is traditional fare at steakhouses: alongside a perfectly seared, juicy steak and a steaming baked potato, creamed spinach can hold its own. For an upscale holiday dinner, it goes remarkably well with prime rib, Yorkshire puddings, and British-style roasties.

If you like your creamed spinach a little thicker and heartier, cook the sauce down a bit longer. Once you add the spinach it will thin the sauce out slightly. If you like it a bit runnier, just add another little splash of cream to get it to the consistency you like.

And if you really want to get fancy, spoon the creamed spinach into a buttered baking dish, top with buttered fresh bread crumbs, and bake in a 400F oven until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the creamed spinach is bubbly.

Recipe: Creamed Spinach

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the dish
2 lbs fresh baby spinach
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole milk, plus more as needed
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

In a large frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, just until barely wilted (you will have to do this in batches, add another ½ tbsp. butter as needed while cooking the spinach). Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve and press to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop (if you like it more finely cut, cut it as you like it!). Set aside.

In a large frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, just until barely wilted. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve and press to remove as much liquid as possible. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop. (Wendy Goodfriend)

In the same pan, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and let bubble for about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring until smooth. Whisk in the cream. Bring to a bubbling simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly, 2 or 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In the same pan, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and let bubble for about 2 minutes. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring until smooth. Whisk in the cream. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Bring to a bubbling simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly, 2 or 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Stir in the reserved spinach. Gently warm through, adding a little more milk if you like a thinner consistency. Serve at once.

Stir in the reserved spinach. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Gently warm through, adding a little more milk if you like a thinner consistency. (Wendy Goodfriend)

Serve the creamed spinach at once. (Wendy Goodfriend)