Spinach, cheese and bacon are a happy threesome no matter how or where they end up together. In these beautiful hors d’oeuvres, the trio is rolled up in an effortless store-bought puff pastry and sliced into spirals that bake up so golden and flaky, they look like you spent a lot more time on them than you actually did. The hardest part of the prep for this dish is squeezing all that excess water out of the spinach.
I make these with fresh spinach in the spring when the farm stands have a steady supply; at other times of the year, frozen is fine. Either way, just make sure to really lean into it when you’re pushing out the water. Drying spinach is a little like those birthday candles that are rigged not to blow out – every time you think you’ve got it all, another handful of water comes out. Best to get it out into the sink or onto a paper towel, and not in the pastries where it will sog everything up.
To assemble, start by painting the sheet of puff pastry with an egg wash (egg blended with either cream or water); this will help the filling stick. Spread each layer of the filling out over the pastry, making sure to go all the way out to the left and right edges — each of those edges will be a slice that will become an individual hors d’oeuvre, so don’t cheat those end pieces out of their quotient of the filling. Roll the whole thing up as tight as you can and chill it for at least 30 minutes to firm it up for easier slicing.
Use a sawing motion with a sharp, serrated knife, and don’t push down on the roll as you’re slicing, or the round slices will get flattened into ovals. Chances are they will flatten slightly no matter how gentle you are – I use my fingers to coax them back into circles once they’re laid out on the baking sheet.
Making these ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- The spirals are best when they’re hot and fresh out of the oven. However this doesn’t mean you can’t prepare them ahead:
- The entire uncut roll – or a portion of it if you’ve already eaten some – can be stored in the fridge, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, overnight. Slice off as many portions as you need and bake the slices as directed in the recipe.
- If you want to store them longer than that, slice the roll and freeze the individual slices for up to a couple of months. Lay the slices out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and freeze them unwrapped until they’re solid (overnight is fine), then transfer them to a freezer safe zip-lock bag. When you’re ready to bake them, put the frozen spirals on a parchment-lined baking sheet (no need to thaw) and bake, adding 2 or 3 minutes to the baking time.
- If you bake them all and end up with leftovers, the leftovers can be reheated in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. They’ll still be good, just not as crisp and flaky.
To see this appetizer with other recipes in a springtime menu, read the post for Saturday May 16, 2020.
Cheesy Spinach Spirals
Ingredients
- 1 pound of fresh spinach leaves, or 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 2 slices bacon
- 1 shallot, minced
- Kosher salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, or water
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry such as Pepperidge Farm (half of a one pound package)
- All-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Cheddar cheese
Directions
- Step 1 If you’re using fresh spinach, wash it thoroughly and transfer the leaves to a large pot over medium-high heat (no need to dry it). Cook the spinach, turning it frequently with tongs, just until it wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Dump the spinach into a colander set over a bowl or the sink and let it cool completely, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can, first with your hands and then by pushing down on the mound of spinach with paper towels until they no longer come away soaked with liquid. Once the spinach is cool and dry, roughly chop it and transfer it to a medium bowl. If you’re using thawed frozen spinach, dump it in the colander and use the same technique for drying it, then transfer it to the bowl.
- Step 2 While the spinach is cooling, cook the bacon in a small skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool.
- Step 3 If there is more than about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the skillet, carefully pour out the excess and return the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot to the bacon grease in the skillet, season with kosher salt, and cook for about 3 minutes or until the shallot is soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the bowl with the spinach. Finely chop the bacon and toss it in with the spinach, using your fingers to combine thoroughly. Set the mixture aside.
- Step 4 In a small bowl, whisk the egg and cream (or water) to blend them. Lay the puff pastry sheet out on a very lightly floured board. Brush the entire surface with the egg wash. There will be a lot of the egg wash left over – don’t throw it away, you’ll need it later.
- Step 5 Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese in an even layer over the pastry, covering it all the way out to the edges on three sides but leaving a ½-inch bare border on the edge farthest away from you. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the Parmesan, again covering everything evenly except the far border. Spread the spinach filling on top of the cheese, crumbling it with your fingers and distributing it evenly across all but the far border. Sprinkle the spinach layer with kosher salt.
- Step 6 Roll the pastry up into a tight cylinder, rolling away from you and pinching the roll closed at the end using the bare edge on the far side as a seal. Place the roll seam side down on a plate or baking sheet and chill it for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. If you plan to chill it more than a couple of hours, wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Step 7 Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 8 Place the pastry roll on your work surface seam side down. Use a gentle sawing motion with a sharp, serrated knife to slice the roll into 1/3- to ½-inch slices. Lay the slices cut side up on the parchment-lined sheet. Daub them gently with the egg wash, being careful not to disrupt the filling, then sprinkle each spiral with a little kosher salt.
- Step 9 Bake the spirals for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they’re slightly puffed and the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove the pan to a cooling rack and let the spirals cool for 10 minutes before serving.
