Spinach Basted In Cream & Sherry
Spinach Basted in Cream & Sherry
By Chadwick Boyd
PHOTO By Tom Eberhart-Smith
This Isn't Your Grandma's Creamed Spinach
For this dish, ingredients really matter. This recipe relies on high-quality heavy whipping cream, salted butter, and fresh bunches of big, leafy spinach. I was inspired to create this dish after ordering creamed spinach at the new Bluebird London NYC. Rather than the usual gloppy, thick cream sauce, it was mostly spinach in a small pot with a bit of cream and butter, which I found sublime. My version continues that approach and relies on basting large leaf spinach with big spoonfuls of warmed farm-fresh cream and salted Irish butter until it just slightly softens. Then it's spiked with sherry and finished with crunchy flake salt just before putting on the table. I like to serve it straight from the pan.
Chadwick’s Checklist
What you need to know before you cook.
- You'll need a wide skillet to make this one-pot side dish.
- You may need to work in batches to cook all the large spinach leaves into the cream.
SERVING SIZE: 4 PREP TIME: 15 mins TOTAL TIME: 15 mins
Ingredients
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons salted Irish butter (I use Kerrygold)
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
4 bunches of spinach (about 2 lbs.), washed and tough stems removed
1 tablespoon sherry
¼ teaspoon Maldon salt or to taste
Directions
Add the butter and cream to a wide skillet or sauce pan. Bring to a low bubble on medium heat, about 5-7 minutes. Whisk in the white pepper.
Cook the spinach in batches. Add one batch to one side of the pan. Slightly tilt the pan to allow the cream and butter to pool at the other end. Using a large spoon, baste the spinach leaves vigorously until they wilt and turn bright green. Continue with the remaining batches until all the spinach is soft and tender. Take off the heat.
Drizzle with the sherry and season with the Maldon salt just before serving.
Chadwick’s Changeups
Switch things up. Have some fun! Do more.
- White pepper has a more delicate flavor than black, so feel free to use a pinch of nutmeg instead.
- Chard or frozen spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry with a kitchen towel) make great substitute greens.
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