Croque Madame with Béchamel, Gruyère and a Fried Egg

What you need

• 4 slices white sandwich bread, thick-cut
• 50 g (3 1/2 tbsp) butter, softened, divided
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) whole milk
• 100 g (1 cup) gruyère, grated, divided
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 150 g (5 oz) cooked ham, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 eggs
• chives, chopped, for serving

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the grill (broiler) with a rack about 20 cm (8 in) below the element.

2. 2

   Butter the bread on one side only, using 2 tbsp of the butter for all 4 slices.

3. 3

   Toast the bread buttered side down in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until golden, 2-3 min. Move to a baking tray.

4. 4

   For the béchamel, melt 1 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 min without letting it brown much.

5. 5

   Pour in the milk gradually, whisking, and bring to a simmer. Cook on low, whisking, until it coats a spoon, 2-3 min.

6. 6

   Off the heat, whisk in a quarter of the gruyère until smooth, then season with the salt, black pepper and nutmeg.

7. 7

   Turn 2 slices toasted side down. Spread each with a spoonful of béchamel, scatter over a little gruyère and lay the ham on top.

8. 8

   Spread the mustard on the untoasted side of the other 2 slices and set them mustard side down on the ham.

9. 9

   Cover the tops with the rest of the béchamel and the remaining gruyère.

10. 10

    Grill until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned in patches, 5-7 min.

11. 11

    Meanwhile, melt the last of the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat and fry the eggs until the whites are set but the yolks still run, 3-4 min.

12. 12

    For anyone young, elderly, pregnant or immunocompromised, use pasteurized eggs or fry them until the yolks are firm.

13. 13

    Set an egg on each sandwich, sprinkle with chives and serve straight away.

Imported from hormel.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.