The 2nd-Best Side Dish I've Got

TL;DR

A Playboy-originated creamed spinach recipe using green spinach cream, garlic butter, and pecorino makes an elegant six-ingredient side dish.

Key Points

• 1.The dish originates from a now-defunct Playboy YouTube channel called 'Let's Get Fat.' The host has been making this version of creamed spinach for ten years, valuing it for being more refined than the standard cheese-heavy dip-like version.
• 2.The key technique is a bright green spinach cream made by blanching, ice-bathing, squeezing, and blending spinach with cream and salt. A shortcut using pre-blanched frozen spinach reduces this to a quick blend, eliminating the need for a pot and bowl.
• 3.The dish is built by sautéing fresh garlic in butter, wilting four cups of baby spinach, emulsifying with a second tablespoon of butter, then coating everything in the spinach cream. Nutmeg and pecorino (used as a salty finishing agent) are added off-heat, with seasoning adjusted carefully since fat requires significant salt.
• 4.Leftovers reheat well and can be upgraded with toasted panko breadcrumbs on day two. A bare-minimum version — just garlic, butter, spinach, and salt — is offered for anyone unwilling to make the full cream, ensuring the spinach doesn't go to waste.