Croque Madame Casserole - Paula Deen

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 10 -12 slices bread (or sour dough)
• 3/4 lb deli ham, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, grated, reserve some for top of casserole
• 6 eggs

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. grease an 8-inch square baking dish.(or larger dish)
• 2 melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over low heat until bubbling. whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
• 3 slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thick and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• 4 whisk in the mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• 5 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.
• 6 repeat the layers once more, ending with a third layer of sauce to cover all.
• 7 bake the casserole for 30 minutes.
• 8 working in 2 batches, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• 9 crack 3 eggs into the skillet and season with salt and pepper, to taste. cook until the whites are nearly set, about 3 minutes.
• 10 carefully flip the eggs and continue cooking until the whites are slightly set, they will cook more under the broiler.
• 11 you're going to top portions of the casserole with a fried egg. repeat with the remaining 3 eggs.
• 12 top with gruyere and put in the oven for a few minutes until cheese melts, watching carefully so it does not burn.
• 13 cut into 6 pieces so each has an egg and serve.