Chicory & Ham Gratin

📝 Ingredients

• 8 medium heads of chicory (about 1 kg)
• 8 slices cooked ham (320 g)
• 600 g waxy potatoes
• 1/2 lemon (juice)
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 35 g plain flour
• 600 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 80 g grated Emmental
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• Salt, pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large sauté pan with lid
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Baking dish
• Colander
• Steamer basket

📖 Steps

1. Quickly rinse the chicory, remove any damaged leaves and use the tip of a knife to cut a small cone out of the base, removing the hard core, which holds most of the bitterness. Don't leave them to soak: they would become waterlogged.
2. Arrange them in the sauté pan and add the lemon juice, sugar, a pinch of salt and 100 ml water. Cover and cook for 20 min over a medium-low heat, turning them halfway through: they should be tender right through and slightly translucent.
3. Drain the chicory in the colander and let it cool for 5 min. Squeeze each one between your hands, or between two plates, to extract as much juice as possible: this is the key step to avoid a gratin swimming in water.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Melt the butter in the saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour all at once and whisk for 1 min without letting it colour. Gradually pour in the cold milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
5. Bring to a simmer, whisking, then let it thicken for 3 to 4 min over a low heat, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season with nutmeg, pepper and only a little salt, as the ham is already salty.
6. Wrap each head of chicory in a slice of ham and lay them side by side in the gratin dish, seam-side down. Pour over all the béchamel, making sure the ends are well covered, then sprinkle evenly with grated Emmental.
7. Bake for 25 min at 200 °C, until the top is nicely golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks and steam them for 20 to 25 min.
8. Let the gratin rest for 5 min out of the oven: the sauce firms up and you won't burn yourself. Serve 2 heads of chicory per person with the steamed potatoes, spooning over a little béchamel from the dish.