Croque Monsieur Sandwiches

I'm on a cheesy-bread kick I guess but I make no apologies. You'll find none necessary when you try this tasty bite--but better bring a fork and knife because it's rather sloppy.

Hey! That's it! This is the French version of the famous Sloppy Joe--let's call it a Sloppy Jacques!

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
8 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
ground nutmeg to taste
8 slices of thick crusty French bread
6 ounces baked ham, sliced

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, lightly grease a baking sheet and set it aside.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter then stir in the flour, stirring carefully to form a paste then whisk in the milk. Keep whisking, scraping the bottom of the pan continually, until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Once it begins to boil reduce the heat and allow it to gently boil for two more minutes.

Take it off the heat and stir in the grated cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Place four slices of bread on the buttered baking sheet and spread 1/4 cup of the sauce over the slices. Cover with a slice of cheese, a slice of ham, another slice of cheese, a second slice of bread, then top with more sauce and finally with some grated cheese. Let's hope your arteries can handle this.

Bake for about 5 minutes until golden brown then serve immediately.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life and all who voted at the Bloggy Hoss awards--it was so wonderful to find that nice little present waiting for me!

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