I love make-ahead dishes, especially for holidays. Prepping a day or two ahead of the festivities and then slipping the dish in the oven when ready to serve is like giving yourself a little gift of time.
This cheesy ham bake is festive enough for a holiday treat, but fairly simple to compose. It takes liberties with a classic French sandwich, the croque madame, turning the components into a casserole.
A quick-cooking gruyere sauce, thickened with a little butter and flour roux, comes together in less than 10 minutes. Dijon mustard adds a bit of tang.
Spread some sauce in a baking dish and top with thick-sliced toasted bread. I like to use an herby focaccia as the base for more flavor, but your favorite ciabatta or any thick-cut slices will work. Top that with thin slices of ham, more sauce and a sprinkling of cheese and bake for less than 20 minutes.
Slice a portion and top it with an egg fried in spicy fat.
It's rich, so I definitely put it in the special-occasion category and recommend enjoying it with a lightly dressed green salad.
If everyone is not eating at the same time, you can bake the casserole and refrigerate it. Then, when ready to eat, people can slice a portion and heat in the toaster oven or oven before adding that freshly fried egg.
One benefit of eating the casserole a day later: A prettier plate. The creamy ham and cheese bake cuts much more cleanly after being chilled.
Cheesy Ham Bake With Spicy Fried Eggs
- 1 (10- to 12-ounce) square plain or herb-seasoned focaccia bread loaf
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided use, plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese, divided use
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground white pepper, divided use, plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided use, plus more as needed
- 8 ounces thinly sliced ham
- 6 eggs
- Chopped fresh chives, for serving
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 450 degrees.
Slice the bread in half horizontally so it is about ½-inch thick, then trim as needed so the two halves loosely fill a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fill any gaps with the bread trimmings, if you like. Place the bread in the oven and toast for about 10 minutes, or until crisp.
While the bread is toasting, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add flour to make a roux; cook, whisking, until the roux just starts to darken, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, raise the heat to high and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat. Whisk in the mustard, 1 cup of the cheese, 1 teaspoon of the pepper and ¼ teaspoon of the nutmeg until well combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.
Remove the baking dish from the oven. Transfer the toasted bread to a plate and spread 1 cup cheese sauce evenly in the baking dish. Nestle the bread into sauce, cut side up. Top with the ham and the remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until bubbly and browned in places on top.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let cool while you fry the eggs, or until the cheese stops bubbling.
In a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining butter and sprinkle in the remaining white pepper and nutmeg. Add the eggs, slipping them in just a few seconds apart to allow the whites to set before adding another. (This helps to prevent the eggs from sticking together.) Fry until the whites are opaque but the yolks are still soft, 2 to 3 minutes. If you fry the eggs in batches, add more butter and spices as needed.
To serve, use a sharp knife to cut the casserole into six even pieces. Using a thin, metal spatula, transfer a section of the casserole to a plate. Top each portion with a spicy fried egg and sprinkle generously with fresh-cut chives.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 511 calories, 29 g protein, 15 g fat, 26 g carbohydrate (5 g sugar), 260 mg cholesterol, 1024 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 2.