Savoyard pasta gratin

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 400 g pasta (e.g. Crozets – small square pasta from the Savoy region)
• salt water
• 30 g butter
• 30 g flour
• 500 ml milk
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 150 g cheese (Beaufort) or other hearty raw milk cheese
• 6 slice(s) ham, raw
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Foam the butter in a saucepan, add the flour all at once, and sauté briefly. Add the milk and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the nutmeg and season sparingly. Finely dice the cheese and slice the ham. Stir the pasta and ham into the béchamel sauce and pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake for 20 minutes at 160°C.