Spinach Gratin

Wash the spinach, and do not dry it. Place it in a large pot over high heat, with just the water droplets that are still clinging to it from washing. Cover, and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer spinach to a colander, and immediately fill the pot with cold water. Plunge spinach into the cold water to stop the cooking, and drain it again. Squeeze the spinach, small handfuls at a time, to extract as much water as possible. Coarsely chop the spinach. You should have about 1 cup of chopped, cooked spinach when you are done with this process.

Wipe out the spinach pot and melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat and add spinach. Cook until all the moisture has cooked out of the spinach, about 5 minutes. When you press a spoon or spatula into the spinach, you should see no liquid.

Decrease heat to medium-low, and sprinkle the flour over spinach. Stir for 2 minutes, cooking the flour. Add the stock, a little bit at a time, stirring between each addition. Simmer about 2 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the addition of cheese will make it a little saltier than it is at this point.

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly butter a small, shallow baking dish. Stir half the cheese into the spinach mixture, and pour the mixture into the baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and the panko, and sprinkle on top of the spinach. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter, and drizzle over the top of the spinach. Bake until the top is golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

Allow it to cool about 5 minutes, and enjoy!