Martha Stewart – Serves

“Do you know how to eat an elephant?”

“One bite at a time.”

The Gruyère Popover Spinach Sandwich is perfect for Christmas, Mother’s Day, or Birthday brunches. This is a 4-part recipe that begins with popovers and includes creamed spinach, bacon, and eggs. It can seem a little complicated, but taken in steps, it makes it manageable—a lot like eating an elephant.

They say we eat with our eyes. The brown crust of the popover, the bright green of the spinach, and the sunny yellow egg yoke make this dish very visually appealing. After making this dish, I was so happy with the results that I posted a photo on social media and received rave reviews. My old school friends (Peggy, Martha, and Jen) remembered making popovers during cooking class. They recalled their success, the friends they cooked with, and how much fun it was to take home economics classes at University Heights Junior High School. Some remember being “terrorized by Mrs. Dicky.” Memories of the large classroom with vintage ranges came flooding back with stories about teachers and our favorite recipes from the 1960s. Imagine my delight in reconnecting with these women and having the opportunity to cook this wonderful dish for them.

Ingredients for Popovers

• 2 ½ C   Whole milk
• 2 ½ C   All-purpose flour, that has been sifted
• 1 t    Salt
• 6      Large eggs
•          Unsalted butter, softened, for pans
• 1 C   Grated Gruyère cheese (3 ounces)

Directions for Popovers

• You can make these early in the day and reheat them as needed. 
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat two 6-cup popover pans in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Place eggs into the stand mixer and mix until they are light and frothy.
• Warm milk in a saucepan, then temper the eggs with a small amount of the milk. Don’t add all the warm milk at once or it cooks the eggs.
• Slowly add the flour and salt to the egg and milk mixture. Don’t overmix; the batter might be a little lumpy.
• Generously brush popover cups with butter. Fill each cup almost full with batter.
• Sprinkle it with cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
• Turn out popovers.

Ingredients for Creamed Spinach

• 2 ½ lb        Baby spinach, trimmed and washed
• 2 T               Butter
• 2                  Shallots, minced
• ¼ C               All-purpose flour
• 3 C               Whole milk
•                      Salt and Ground pepper                    
• Pinch of nutmeg

Directions for Creamed Spinach

• Steam spinach, covered, in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain. Let cool. Squeeze out and reserve liquid. Chop spinach.
• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook shallots until translucent (3
• minutes.) Add flour, and cook (1 to 2 minutes). You are making a roux.
• Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a simmer (2 minutes). Season with one teaspoon salt
• and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir in spinach. If the mixture is too thick, thin it with the reserved spinach liquid. Stir in nutmeg. Continue to cook until warmed through.

Assemble all Ingredients

• Gruyère Popovers
• 12 large eggs over easy or scrambled
• Salt and freshly-ground pepper
• Creamed spinach
• 12 -Slices of cooked bacon

Directions

• Split popovers in half, and toast on a baking sheet under the broiler for 2 minutes. Scramble eggs, fill split popovers with 1/3 cup creamed spinach, eggs, and one bacon slice.