Greens and Eggs au Gratin

Recipe No. 596 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Vegetables. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Spinach or other greens — 25 pounds*
• Salt — as needed
• Water, boiling — as needed
• Eggs, hard-cooked, sliced — 24 eggs
• White sauce — 1 gallon (4 No. 56 dippers)
• Cheese, chopped — 1 pound (1 No. 56 dipper)

Directions

1. Cut roots from spinach or other greens. Wash leaves several times to remove all sand. Drain well.
2. Add small amount boiling salted water to greens. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain.
3. Line bottom of greased baking pans with ½ of the sliced eggs.
4. Prepare white sauce (recipe No. 497).
5. Pour ½ of the white sauce over eggs in baking pans. Place spinach or other greens on top of eggs and cover with remaining white sauce. Arrange remaining slices of eggs on top and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake in moderate oven (375° F.) 40 minutes.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Spinach or other greens — 2 lb Salt — to taste Water, boiling — to taste Eggs, hard-cooked, sliced — 2 eggs White sauce — 1¼ cups Cheese, chopped — 1¼ oz

3 No. 10 cans spinach or other greens may be substituted for the fresh spinach or other greens.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 596, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.