2T unsalted butter

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled

2.5 ounces of bacon (about 3 strips)

2 cups of cooked winter greens (spinach, swiss chard, kale, broccoli raab, etc)

1/3 cup of freshly grated hard cheese (cows milk or sheeps milk would be best)

To prepare and cook the greens, remove any tough stems and roughly chop.  (To yield 2 cups cooked you will need 1 pound of spinach or brocolli raab, 1 3/4 pounds of swiss chard, or 1 1/4 pounds of kale.)  Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook until the greens are tender (spinach 30 seconds, swiss chard 1 minute, brocolli raab 2 minutes, and kale 8 minutes).  Drain and squeeze to remove excess water.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a 4 cup shallow gratin dish.  Toss together the breadcrumbs and 1 T of melted butter with a pinch of kosher salt and a little ground pepper and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the gream and garlic to a boil over medium-high heat and then turn down the heat and simmer vigorously until the cream is reduced to about 3/4 cup.  Take the pan off the heat and remove and discard the garlic cloves.  Let the cream cool slightly and then season with 1/4 t of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisped and browned.  Drain on a paper towel and remove almost all of the excess fat from the pan.  Add the remaining 1T of butter and return the pan to the heat.  Add the cooked greens with 1/4 t salt and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Evenly spread the warmed greens in the gratin dish.

Crumble the bacon over the greens.  Sprinkle on the cheese.  Pour the seasoned cream over the greens/bacon/cheese and top with the bread crumbs.  Bake in the 400 degree oven until brown and bubbly - about 25 minutes.  Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.