Dutch Spinach à la Crème with Hard Boiled Eggs

I was a little bit skeptical when the kids first asked me to make this. I thought they were kidding when they said they wanted "creamy spinach they could mix with eggs and potatoes" but this is actually one of their favourite things to eat. Hard boiled eggs are very simple and quick to make and a favourite for many children. This dinner can be ready in about 10 minutes so it is great if you are in a pinch.

Prep Time: 10-15mins

Ingredients:

- 2 eggs per person
- 1 medium sized potato per person
- 20 oz raw spinach (2 small bags or one large one)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 shallot
- 5 white mushrooms
- 1/2 red pepper
- 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
- 2 teaspoons of flour
- 4 cups of milk
- 1 teaspoon each of oregano and thyme
- salt and pepper to taste

Method:

- leave eggs to boil for 9 minutes
- chop potatoes into cubes with peels on or off and steam or boil until cooked thoroughly
- melt butter in a large skillet
- Steam spinach in a steamer or double boiler for about 5 minutes or until soft to the touch
- add flour to melted butter slowly, mixing with a wooden spoon until a soft, pasty consistency is obtained
- slowly add milk one cup at a time, stirring constantly and bringing milk to a boil before adding additional milk
- in a separate pan, sautee finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and red pepper with a small amount of butter or olive oil
- add crushed garlic to sauteing vegetables and remove from heat
- milk mixture should have the consistency of a thin gravy. Whisk in additional milk or flour to lightly boiling mixture as required to achieve desired consistency
- once the milk mixture has reached the desired consistency, add spices, steamed spinach and sauteed veggies and mix and heat on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until you are finished preparing the eggs and potatoes.
-serve eggs peeled with spinach and potatoes, children will often mix all 3 together on their plate or eat the eggs separately and mash the potatoes and spinach together. Other veggies you have on hand can be substituted in the spinach mix.