Southern Belle Croque Madame - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt (or season to taste)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or season to taste)
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg (eyeball it)
2 teaspoons smooth dijon-style mustard
12 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (5 cups)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 (18 ounce) package of san gennaro pre-cooked prepared polenta
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces apple-wood smoked bacon, pan-fried or broiled (do not microwave)
5 small eggs or 1 medium egg, fried sunny-side up
2 2 tablespoons chives (for garnish) or 2 tablespoons thyme, chopped (for garnish)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400*F.
For the bechamel sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium low heat in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes.
Whisk the milk into the butter/flour mixture and bring to a bubble, then turn heat to low.
Season the mixture by adding the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Dijon mustard.
Remove from heat when sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Add 1/2 cup grated Gruyere and the Parmesan, stirring until incorporated, and set aside.
To prepare the polenta: Cut into 1/2 inch slices and pan fry on both sides in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until crispy & golden brown.
Place pan-fried polenta slices onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
To assemble the \"sandwiches\": Top half of the polenta slices with a dollup of bechamel sauce, 2 slices of bacon each (folded or torn to fit), and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere.
Top each with another piece of pan-fried polenta.
Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere and bake the \"sandwiches\" for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Using a spatula, top each open-faced sandwich with a fried egg, sunny-side up.
Slather the tops with the cheese sauce and garnish with chopped herbs if desired.
Serve hot.