Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese
10 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ pound (about 12 cups loosely packed) baby spinach, big stems pulled off and leaves coarsely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup sour cream
Juice of ½ lemon
Preparation
Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and toss them into a large mixing bowl. Leave at room temperature to soften.
Squeeze the garlic cloves through a press, stopping every few cloves to scrape out the garlic left behind in the press.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until it is nice and golden, about 8 minutes.
Add the spinach, raise the heat to high, and stir until it wilts. The spinach will turn bright green and start to give off liquid. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Season the spinach with salt and pepper and scrape it onto a cutting board. Let stand to cool a bit.
Chop the spinach finely with a chef’s knife. Scoop the spinach into the bowl with the cream cheese, leaving as much liquid behind on the board as possible. Add the sour cream and lemon juice, and mash with a big fork until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
You can make the dip up to a few days in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Before serving, bring to room temperature. The longer that it sits in the fridge, the stronger the garlic flavor will become.
