Rahmspinat | Austrian Creamed Spinach with Fried Eggs

Wash the spinach several times in plenty of water and remove the thick stems. Blanch it in boiling salted water for just 2 minutes, drain it, and immediately plunge it into ice water. This shock keeps the color bright green. Squeeze out all the water with your hands and chop coarsely.

Boil the potatoes in salted water with their skins on until a skewer meets slight resistance. Peel them and slice them 1 cm thick. Heat the oil in a wide pan, arrange the slices in a single layer, and fry each side for 4 minutes until a golden crust forms. Do not turn them too soon or the slices will stick to the spatula before a crust forms.

Melt the butter and soften the very finely chopped onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the flour and whisk over low heat for 2 minutes, until the raw flour smell disappears. Gradually whisk in the milk until thickened and smooth. Add the nutmeg, salt, and black pepper.

Stir the chopped spinach into the béchamel and warm over low heat for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon; if it is too thin, cook for 2 more minutes, but do not let it boil. Taste and adjust the salt.

Heat a little oil in a separate pan, crack in the eggs, and cook over low heat until the whites are completely set but the yolks remain runny. If you cover the pan, the tops will turn opaque and the yolks will no longer be runny, so leave it uncovered. Put creamed spinach, fried potatoes, and one egg on each plate and serve hot.