Croque Madame

By jenlin

Ingredients

• 12 slices white sandwich bread
• Dijon mustard, for spreading
• Sliced ham, as needed, depending on how thick your ham is (if using thinly sliced deli ham, use about 3 slices per sandwich, or 18 slices total)
• 4 cups grated Gruyere cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 over-easy fried eggs

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Assemble the sandwiches on a baking sheet by spreading 6 slices of bread with a scant amount of Dijon mustard. (If you like more Dijon flavor, add more. Top with the desired amount of ham and sprinkle with about a tablespoon of cheese. Top with the remaining bread slices.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Stir in the flour, creating a roux, and cook for about 4 minutes. Whisk in the milk and stir until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the nutmeg and 1 cup of Gruyere, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the sandwiches. Top the sandwiches with equal amounts of the remaining cheese.

Bake for 8 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until the sandwiches are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, about 2 minutes (watch closely!). Top each sandwich with a fried egg and serve or just top with a slice of tomato.