Recipe Redo: Creamed Spinach

I've been making my friend Melissa's recipe for creamed spinach for years but was never able to get a good photo of the finished product. SP has been hankering for a good steak dinner. Unfortunately there aren't any great steak places nearby that offer a consistently good meal, so we decided to make our own dinner at home. We have a fantastic Amish butcher at a local farmer's market so we picked up some steaks and I whipped up this creamed spinach.

Of course I forgot that I wanted to blog the creamed spinach on its own, so this Instagram photo is the best shot I got that night. Trust me, this is a recipe you want to have in your back pocket. It's easy and delicious. The original Emeril recipe calls for fresh spinach, but I always use frozen since finding 2lbs worth of fresh spinach without breaking the bank can be difficult. Frozen is just as good and makes this a side dish I can throw together whenever the mood strikes.

Creamed Spinach
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen, modified from Emeril Lagasse

2 cups frozen spinach
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream

Place the frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for a few minutes (will vary depending on your microwave) until just defrosted. Place in a clean kitchen towel and wring out all the excess water in the spinach.

Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, just until the liquid is released. Add the cream (start with 1/2 cup), salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook until the cream is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. You may want to add more cream if it looks dry. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.