Croque Madame Casserole

By ClaudiaJan

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen (DFC, pg. 110)

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, plus 2 tablespoons for eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 10 to 12 slices white bread
• 3/4 pound deli ham
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyere, reserve some for top of casserole
• 6 eggs

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over low heat until bubbling. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thick and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes more. Whisk in the mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Pour a thin layer of the sauce into the prepared baking dish and cover it with 5 or 6 slices of the bread, then slices of the ham and an even layer of the Gruyere. Repeat the layers once more, ending with a third layer of sauce to cover all. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cut into 6 equal pieces.