Greek Yogurt Spinach Dip & Homemade Pita Chips

This, dear readers, is one of my very favorite things.  It's the food52 winner for Your Best Spinach Recipe, and it is the most delicious spinach dip ever.  If it were humanly possible I would swallow the whole bowl like a snake ingesting an egg. 

This dip tastes completely different than the traditional mayonnaise-based spinach dip. It's much lighter and fresher tasting, due to the greek yogurt and fresh spinach (hot tip: I've also made this with chard, when that's available, and it's equally delicious).  You'll notice that I've successfully drowned out this dips healthier profile with a slick pool of olive oil.  I blame Andy for this one- the guy loves olive oil.  Feel free to be more judicious in your drizzling :)

I always serve this dip with homemade pita chips (recipe follows).  These are super simple, and way better than the store-bought variety, but the success is contingent on your starting with good fresh pita bread.  Austinites- I use the small rounds of Phoenicia white pita, which is available at good ole Central Market.

Greek Yogurt Spinach Dip

Adapted very slightly from Shayma's recipe from Food52

• 1 pound baby spinach
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups plain full-fat Greek Yogurt (I use the 17.6 oz Fage Total yogurt)
• kosher salt
• few pinches dried mint (optional: for sprinkling on top of finished dip)
• handful crushed walnuts, for topping finished dip
• olive oil, for drizzling on finished dip

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add a generous amount of salt, and then the baby spinach.  Boil for about a minute, until the spinach has completely wilted but is still bright green.  Drain well, and allow the spinach to cool slightly.
2. Put the cooled spinach in a kitchen towel and squeeze as much of the water out as possible. Chop fine.
3. Return the now empty pot to the stove and set the heat to medium. Saute half of your minced garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil and add the spinach. Add a pinch of salt. Stir for a minute or two. 
4. Remove from the heat, allow to cool.
5. In a large shallow bowl, mix the yogurt, the remaining minced garlic, and the sauteed spinach until well combined. Add salt to taste. 
6. Sprinkle with dried mint, crushed walnuts, and a drizzle of good olive oil.  Serve with pita chips.

Pita Chips

• 1 package good pita bread (I like Phoenicia, available at Central Market)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
3. Cut each pita round into six wedges, and peel apart the two layers, creating 12 wedges from one pita round.  Repeat for as many wedges as you can fit on your baking sheet in a single layer (I usually do two pitas at a time).
4. Toss the pita wedges with olive oil, and arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the chips are mostly golden and crispy.