Brussels sprouts gratin

Cheesy and bacony with a savory creamy white sauce.

2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed of outer leaves and sliced in half
salt
2 ounces pancetta, diced(bacon, ham, or prosciutto will work also)
1 tablespoon butter
3 shallots, peeled, halved, and sliced(or onion)
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
scant pinch of fresh nutmeg
thyme leaves from 2 sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
4 ounces grated Gruyere cheese, divided into 3 ounce and 1 ounce portions

Blanch the brussels sprouts in 4 quarts of salted water in a large pot. Cook until just tender. Remove, drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking.

Fry diced pork in large pot until most of the fat is rendered. Add butter and melt. Add shallots/onion and cook until softened. Add flour to make roux, whisk.
Add milk to roux and mix with spoon.cook until sauce thickens. Add fresh tyme and sprinkle in the nutmeg.

Add 3 ounces of Gruyere chees to white sauce and cook until cheek is melted and incorporated. Add half of the cooked pancetta. Salt/pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare casserole or gratin dish with butter. Add brussels sprouts in the cheese sauce. Transfer the cheesy brussels sprouts to the disk.
Sprinkle with remaining pork and the remaining once ounce of Gruyere cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until top is lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from oven
and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.