Croque Madame

If you're of the mind that a grilled cheese sandwich does not qualify as a suitable dinner, we have two things to say. First, why in the world not? Second, we have a compromise and it's called a croque madame.

What we like about grilled cheese sandwiches -- besides all the melted cheese -- is that it makes for a quick and stress-free dinner option. But we understand that it doesn't have a ton of nutritional value. The croque madame, on the other hand, has more to offer.

The croque madame is a traditional French bistro dish -- a ham-and-cheese grilled sandwich topped with a fried egg. It's filling, full of protein, and still technically a grilled cheese (which means it's the best of both worlds). Next time you need to make dinner in a hurry, you should consider this sandwich.

This is how you make a croque madame.

Make the bechamel sauce. Just follow this recipe, everything will be fine. Top your slices of bread with a nice layer of bechamel sauce. Next, add cheese. Then a thin layer of dijon mustard (this is key). And top it off with a slice of ham. Combine the slices of bread and grill it in a buttered pan just as you would a grilled cheese.

While the sandwich is cooking, preheat the broiler. Once the sandwich is nicely browned, top it with bechamel and broil it until bubbling and golden -- about 2-3 minutes. While the sandwich is broiling, fry the egg. Top the sandwich with the egg, et voila, your croque madame dinner is ready to eat.