This casserole has all of the elements of a Croque Madame sandwich—crusty French bread, melty Gruyère, salty ham, and silky béchamel sauce—with the added bonus of being crowd-friendly.

To make the casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half-and-half, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the bread, 2 cups of the Gruyère, and diced ham. Using your hands or a spatula, mix the ingredients well, ensuring that the egg mixture soaks into the bread.
3. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart oven safe dish and spread out evenly. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

To make the béchamel sauce

1. Melt butter in a nonstick pan on medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 2-3 minutes.
2. Gradually add 1 cup of the milk to pan, whisking constantly over medium heat until no lumps remain. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so the remaining 1/4 cup milk should be reserved for use later.
3. Once the sauce is smooth, stir in nutmeg, remove from heat, and set aside until the cassreole is done.
4. Once the casserole is done, remove from oven and turn the heat up to 425F. While the oven gets to temperature, bring the béchamel sauce back to the burner on low heat. Whisk in the remaining quarter cup of milk until sauce is smooth again.
5. Remove foil from casserole and pour the béchamel sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere. Return casserole to oven and bake for about 8 minutes uncovered.
6. Remove casserole from the oven and carefully create two slightly sunken holes with the back of a spoon. Crack an egg into each hole and place back into the oven until the egg whites are firm.
7. Sprinkle casserole with extra fresh thyme and serve hot with a cup of coffee for a classic French flavor.

Farm Team Tips

Gruyère is preferred for this dish, but Swiss, Gouda, or a mixture of Parmesan and Romano are good substitutes.

When choosing your bread, look for something hearty, rustic, crusty, and unsliced. Avoid regular sliced sandwich bread, which is too thin and will dissolve and fall apart when combined with the egg mixture.

To reheat the casserole, cover with foil and bake at 400F until warmed through. If you're pressed for time, a minute or two in the microwave will also work.