Creamy Spinach and Cheese Baked Potatoes

I saw the Neelys on the Food Network making a Twice Baked Potato with greens. I wanted to try the same recipe only with spinach. The potatoes I had were to small to "twice bake", so I changed and tweaked the recipe to match the ingredients that I had. Turns out my recipe was completely different from the Neelys and so, this is my first official original recipe. The picture is sad at best. :o) I didn't think to take one before we ate so the picture is of the leftovers and I put it on here so cooks would know what the dish should look like. The next time I make this, I will be sure to get a better picture.

Creamy Spinach and Cheese Baked Potatoes
Melissa Bannister

Ingredients
12 medium red potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil OR canola spray
1 stick of butter
sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, sugar

1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 bag fresh spinach
1/2 cup of half and half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan(or a cheese mixture with parmesan, romano, asiago, provolone), plus extra for topping.
1/4 cup shredded smoked mozzarella, plus extra for topping


Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Spray the bottom of a glass casserole dish with canola oil. Place a few small slabs of butter in the bottom and cover with the chunked potato. Sprinkle the top with the sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, and a pinch of sugar. Throw on a couple more small slabs of butter on top. Tent with foil. Slide them onto the center rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour at 300 degrees, then let them cool slightly as you prepare the next step.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, saute the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the fresh spinach and continue sauteing until the spinach is soft and tender. Add 1/2 cup of half and half and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Add a couple pinches of the seasonings salt, pepper, garlic powder. Stir in the Parmesan cheese mixture until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

Stir the spinach and cheese mixture into the potatoes and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste. Mash/Mix gently making sure all the potatoes are covered and creamy. Sprinkle the mozzarella and extra Parmesan over the tops of the potatoes. Bake them once more (uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes) to heat through and to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven serve with steak and desired vegetable.