Croque Madame Sandwich

Croque Madame is a fancy French way of saying: grilled ham and cheese sandwich with an egg on top. It is a simple recipe that takes hardly any time at all, but makes for an awesome meal! Typically it is served as a breakfast dish, but I made it last night for dinner (or as my husband and I call it "brinner"). I was surprised how delicious such a simple dish could be! I have always loved eggs on toast, and of course, who can turn down a grilled cheese sandwich? But to combine the two dishes with the addition of the sweet, salty, smoky taste of ham?! There is no way this dish can go wrong! Traditionally, croque madame is made with Gruyere cheese, but I just used cheddar since it's the only cheese I have on deck right now. It was still fabulous! I look forward to trying it next time with Gruyere cheese just to compare the flavor difference. But honestly; you can use whatever cheese you love that can melt up well in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Croque Madame Sandwich

Ingredients:
butter, room temperature
2 slices of bread
1-2 slices of ham
1-2 slices of thinly sliced cheese
1 egg
4 cups boiling water

Set electric skillet to 250 degrees, or stove top to medium heat.

Butter one side of each bread slice. Layer ham and cheese in between the slices of bread and place bread, butter side facing down, onto the skillet or non-stick pan. Cook each side until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

If you have a tea kettle, fill about half way and turn on high heat until water is hot. If you do not have a tea kettle, boil about 4 cups of water in a pot. Once boiling, turn the temperature to low but keep the pot or tea kettle warm until the egg is done cooking.

In a separate pan, crack the egg into the pan, making sure not to break the yolk. On medium-high heat, cook the egg until the whites are completely white. Remove the pan from the heat. Gently pour the boiling water into the pan (not directly on the egg or it will break the yolk) until the egg is almost completely submerged in the hot water. With a spatula, gently swish the water over the top of the egg until the egg white over the yolk turns slightly opaque. This helps to make sure all the egg white is cooked. (I always hated having any slimy egg whites left on my eggs! For some reason, the thin layer of egg white that covers the yolk almost never gets cooked on a "sunny side up" egg. But I find this technique really helps!) Then, using the same spatula, gently transfer the egg onto the top of the grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve hot.