Gluten Free Spinach Potato Pie

I had class this weekend, but I still feel well-rested. It's Sunday and we almost adopted another kitten.  We have one adopted cat already, Loki, that we rescued from the Catnip Adoption Agency. I'm always worried that Loki gets lonely, especially since Mindy and I are constantly out of the house and on the move.  However, Mindy had an allergic reaction to the little black kitten we played with at the pet store, so we decided to wait.  Just about every time we have breakfast at the Gateway Diner, we walk over to a nearby pet store to play with the puppies and kittens, and check out the newest salt-water arrivals.  Afterwards we go for a little hike, which is exactly what we did today. 

While walking through the woods we noticed a substantial increase in bird-life.  We also had a close encounter with a groundhog.  We were climbing up a path when I noticed a groundhog cross in front of us and hide behind a tree.  A man with a small beagle was walking behind us and his dog came face to face with the groundhog.  Startled, the groundhog ran toward Mindy and I, went right between our legs and then turned around, stepping on my foot with its left paw, in order to get a good look at the barking threat nearby.  It then ran up the hillside and disappeared into a hole.  It was a pretty cool wild-life experience:) I've never been that close to a groundhog in the wild before.  After we returned home we began creating our shopping list for this week's planned meals.  Last week I made a number of great meals, but this one was my favorite!  The process is a little involved, but the tastiness of this dish makes it completely worth the extra labor.  

We used honey mustard, but feel free to use any kind of mustard you like (ex. spicy-brown, honey-dijon, regular hot dog mustard, etc.).  However, don't use frozen spinach.  Fresh spinach is much better, and those easy-packs of fresh spinach you find in the grocery store near the ready-made bags of salad are typically the exact amount you'll need for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds large potatoes (washed thoroughly)
• 4 cups raw spinach
• 1 3/4 cups low-fat cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 tblsp. mustard (any kind you prefer)
• 2 oz. mixed fresh herbs (ex. thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley), chopped
• 2 eggs
• Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a large pan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Drain well and leave to cool a little before slicing.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
3. Wash the spinach and throw into another large pan with only the water clinging to the leaves. Cover and cook, stirring only once, until the leaves are slightly wilted.  Drain well into a strainer and press the leaves with a large spoon to drain excess water. Chop the spinach finely.
4. Beat together the cream cheese, eggs, and mustard in a bowl. Then stir in the chopped spinach and fresh herbs
5. Coat a deep 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray (make sure it's GF!)
6. Layer the sliced potatoes in a concentric circle in the bottom of the pan. Then add a layer of the spinach mixture, topping with salt and pepper. Repeat this process until your ingredients have been used up, making sure that the last layer is made of potatoes.
7. Cover the pan with tinfoil and place in the oven to bake for 60 minutes.
8. Remove, uncover, and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
9. Enjoy!