Greek Moussaka Dish (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Base

01 - Frying oil, any kind you prefer
02 - 4 potatoes, yellow, sliced evenly (3/8-inch)
03 - 2 lbs eggplants, cut into rounds (3/8-inch thick)

→ Meat Filling

04 - 1 bay leaf
05 - 240ml (1 cup) dry red wine
06 - 1 tsp sugar
07 - 400g (14 oz) canned, chopped tomatoes
08 - 1 tsp kosher salt
09 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
10 - 2 lbs ground beef
11 - 3 tbsp tomato paste
12 - 2 tbsp olive oil
13 - 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
14 - 2 red onions, chopped small

→ Béchamel Sauce

15 - 600ml (2 1/2 cups) milk, room temperature
16 - 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
17 - 75g (3/4 cup) Parmesan, grated freshly
18 - 2 egg yolks beaten lightly
19 - 80g (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
20 - 60g (1/4 cup) butter, melted gently
21 - 1/4 tsp kosher salt
22 - 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground finely

# Instructions:

01 - Slice the eggplants into rounds, about 1cm thick. Sprinkle salt over both sides and let them sit in a colander for half an hour to drain out excess water.
02 - Heat your olive oil in a big pan over medium heat. Toss in the onions and cook until they’re soft and clear. Add minced garlic and sauté for another two minutes. Stir well as you add the ground beef, cinnamon, salt, and sugar, breaking up the meat until it’s browned.
03 - Stir the tomato paste for a minute. Next, pour in the wine with the chopped tomatoes, scraping stuck bits from the pan’s bottom. Throw in the bay leaf, lower the heat, and let it simmer without a lid for about 30 minutes until it thickens. Take the bay leaf out before using the sauce.
04 - Melt butter in a big pot over medium heat and mix in flour until it forms a paste. Keep cooking the paste for about two minutes. Gradually add the milk while whisking constantly. Then stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Let the sauce gently cook, whisking often, until it thickens. Blend in most of the Parmesan cheese and let it cool for a few minutes before mixing in the egg yolks.
05 - Dry off the salted eggplants with paper towels before cooking. Either fry them in olive oil until golden or bake them in a hot oven at 220°C (425°F) for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Lay them on paper towels once done to soak up extra oil.
06 - Prepare the potatoes just like the eggplant. Cook them either by shallow frying or by roasting in the same way. Season them when they’re done, and set them on paper-lined trays to remove any extra oil.
07 - Set your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease the inside and edges of a 23x33cm dish with either melted butter or olive oil.
08 - Start with a layer of potato slices at the bottom of your pan. Add a layer of half the eggplant. Spread all the meat filling on top of the eggplant evenly. Then, layer the remaining eggplant over the meat. Pour the béchamel over everything and sprinkle it with the rest of the Parmesan.
09 - Bake uncovered for about an hour, until the top becomes a beautifully golden crust and everything’s bubbling. Let it cool at least 15 minutes so it sets up nicely before cutting into it.

# Notes:

01 - Uniformly cut eggplant and potatoes to about 1cm thick for even cooking.
02 - Sprinkling salt on eggplants pulls out moisture and gets rid of any bitterness before frying or baking.
03 - You can put the assembled dish in the fridge unbaked and cook it the next day.

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