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CROQUE-MONSIEUR DES ALPAGES

ALPINE TOASTED HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICH
RECIPE BY GUY MARTIN.

Preparation : 30 minutes,  Stand: 1 hour - Cooking: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 225 g of fine grain polenta (corn meal)
• 50 g butter
• 5 g rock salt
• 4 slices of cured Savoie ham
• 200 g Beaufort cheese (a traditional cheese made in the Alps)
• 2 sprigs of lovage (herb growing wild in the mountainous districts of the south of France)
• 2 soup spoons of peanut oil

Procedure

1. Bring 60 cl of water to the boil with the butter and salt.
2. Pour the polenta in whilst stirring continuously.
3. Leave it to simmer gently and stir regularly for 30 mins.
4. Take it off the heat and add the chopped lovage.
5. Pour the polenta onto a greased metal tray and even it to a thickness of 1 cm all over.
6. Chill for 1 hour whilst the polenta hardens.
7. Thickly grate the Beaufort cheese.
8. Fold the slices of ham to make squares of 8 cms.
9. Cut the polenta into 8 squares of 8 cms.
10. Heat 1 soup spoon of oil in a frying pan, place the polenta in the pan and fry until lightly golden.
11. Put 4 squares of polenta on a baking tray to go in the oven, put the cured ham on top of it and sprinkle the grated Beaufort cheese over it.
12. Cover with the remaining 4 squares of polenta. Leave to warm in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes at 180 °C.

How to Serve :

Serve immediately with a salad or dills.

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