Brussels Sprout & Ham Gratin

📝 Ingredients

• 500 g fresh or frozen Brussels sprouts
• 800 g waxy potatoes
• 240 g cooked ham (6 slices of about 40 g each)
• 20 g unsalted butter
• 40 g plain flour
• 600 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 80 g grated Emmental (30 g in the béchamel, 50 g on top)
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt, black pepper, nutmeg

🍴 Utensils

• Gratin dish, about 25 × 30 cm
• Large saucepan
• Slotted spoon
• Colander
• Medium saucepan
• Whisk

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 5 mm slices. Trim the base of the Brussels sprouts, remove any damaged leaves and halve the largest ones so they all cook at the same rate.
2. Bring the large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the potato slices in it for 6 min: they should stay firm. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Then add the sprouts to the same water, 8 min if fresh, 5 min if frozen.
3. Drain the sprouts and leave them in the colander for 5 min, shaking them: any remaining water would make the gratin watery. Cut the ham into 1.5 cm dice. Rub the bottom and sides of the dish with the halved garlic clove.
4. For the béchamel, melt the butter over a medium heat in the medium saucepan, add the flour 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 cook for 5 min over a low heat, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Off the heat, stir in 30 g Emmental, season with salt and pepper and grate in a little nutmeg.
6. Arrange half the potatoes in the dish, then half the sprouts and ham, and cover with a third of the béchamel. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes, sprouts and ham, then pour over the remaining two thirds, spreading it right to the edges.
7. Sprinkle over the remaining 50 g Emmental and bake for 25 min at 200 °C, until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Leave to rest for 5 min before serving so the béchamel sets.