croque montagnarde.

we all have our favorite foods. those special items that completely dazzle us no matter how many times, and ways, we've eaten them. once one looks at the top five foods i'm powerless against this sandwich ends up looking like a painfully obvious choice, doesn't it? 

my 5 favorites:

1. cheese
2. soda pop {don't judge me!}
3. bread
4. pasta
5. pork

sigh... i'm so unoriginal, but do you even need to ask if this croque montagblahblahblah was good? {you don't, it was} it's essentially a dressed up version of my favorite sandwich of all time, the french ham and cheese. {so you replace the butter with an even fatter concoction, add potatoes and then let it get all crusty in the oven? ok, i'm in.}

i discovered this classic combination when i was in paris awhile back. of all the fancy and delicious food i had there, and i had a lot, the main thing i ate over and over were these ham and cheese sandwiches they sold from street carts throughout the city. yes, i'm the girl that goes to paris and ends up mostly eating from a cart, but it was the best kind of street food, better than a 2am bacon death dog {angelenos, you understand} because you didn't need to be slightly sauced to fully enjoy it. three quality ingredients piled between a real french baguette is hard not to, at least, appreciate. a few days into our trip i couldn't help myself so i started ordering these sandwiches from the bistros too. on our last full day i had three.

i've been dying to make this for months but i wanted to wait for a cold fall day so it would taste that much better, and it did, it really did.  

croque montagnarde.

serves 2

from tartine bread

béchamel:

• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• salt + fresh cracked pepper, tt
• pinch of nutmeg

croque montagnarde:

• 6 small fingerling potatoes, cooked until tender, smashed
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 slices day old bread loaf {3/4"}
• 2 thick slices smoked ham
• 4 slices gruyére cheese {2oz}

béchamel:

1. melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. add flour. whisk until mixture bubbles slightly, but has not started to brown, about 2 minutes.  
2. whisk in milk. bring to a boil to thicken. season with salt + pepper, tt. remove from heat.

croque montagnarde: 

1. preheat oven to 425. toss potatoes with olive oil. spread 1/4 cup of the sauce onto each slice of bread, and top with 1 slice of ham, some potatoes, and 2 slices of cheese.
2. bake on baking sheet until cheese is golden and bubbling, 12-14 minutes {start checking after 8 and rotate the sheet as needed for even browning}. stuff your face!