Bouchon's Sautéed Spinach With Garlic Confit

Chef Kate's Note:

Thomas Keller's elegant take on this traditional vegetable. You'll have more garlic confit than you need for this recipe, but it's not hard to find ways to use it--and it will keep in the fridge for about a month.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

For the confit

• 1 cup peeled garlic clove (about 45 cloves)
• 1 cup canola oil (or enough to cover the garlic)

For the spinach

• 1 lb spinach (preferably baby spinach, or 2 10-ounce bags)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ cup shallot , minced
• 8 garlic cloves , confit
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. For the confit.
2. Cut off and discard the root ends of the garlic cloves. Place the cloves in a small saucepan, and add enough oil to cover them by about 1 inch. None of the garlic cloves should be poking through the oil.
3. Place the saucepan over low heat. The cloves should cook gently: very small bubbles will come up through the oil, but the bubbles should not break the surface.
4. Adjust the heat as necessary and move the pan to one side if it is cooking too quickly.
5. Cook the garlic for about 40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the cloves are completely tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the garlic to cool in the oil.
7. Refrigerate the garlic, submerged in the oil, for up to a month.
8. For the spinach.
9. If using large-leaf spinach, remove the thick stems and wash the leaves. Wash the baby spinach.
10. Melt the butter in the largest skillet you have over medium-low heat.
11. Add the shallots and sauté gently for 1 minute.
12. Add the garlic confit and only as much spinach as will fit in the skillet, sprinkle with one-half teaspoons salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste, and use tongs to turn the spinach in the butter.
13. As the spinach wilts, continue to add handfuls of spinach from time to time and season additionally as needed.
14. Do not overcook: the spinach is done when it is wilted and tender but still bright green. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[Wish I Could Cook]

This was super! I made the garlic ahead of time and then threw this dish together in no time. I used a nonstick pan and just a bit of added olive oil. Loved it and will make frequently using this simple combination of my favorite ingredients!

[MarraMamba]

wow oh wow. First of all the garlic confit is so easy to make once you peel the garlic (if you dont like peeling it, my suggestion would be to go to a restaurant you know and ask if you can buy 45 cloves from their pre peeled ones which most use-they have jugs of prepeeled cloves in the fridge) I used a good olive oil instead of canola, because i plan to not only use the garlic but the oil as well in dishes including salads. The spinach was absolutely fabulous with the confit, i had europes best frozen bc i am only one person, defrosted it, squeezed out the water and sauteed it as directed mashing the garlic cloves (i used two) as i sauteed it. A superb spinach dish, and once you have the confit in the fridge its a snap to put together a tasty and elegant side dish.