Ingredients
- eggplant 800.0 g
- potatoes 500.0 g
- olive oil 60.0 ml
- salted butter 10.0 g
- beef ground beef 500.0 g
- onion 150.0 g
- garlic 15.0 g
- canned tomatoes 400.0 g
- red wine 100.0 ml
- ground cinnamon 1.0 tsp
- ground nutmeg 0.5 tsp
- ground cloves 0.25 tsp
- ground black pepper 2.0 g
- butter 60.0 g
- all-purpose flour 60.0 g
- whole milk 500.0 ml
- egg yolks 40.0 g
- parmesan 60.0 g
- ground nutmeg 0.5 tsp
Cooking Instructions
Slice the eggplant into 1cm thick rounds. Sprinkle generously with salt and let drain in a colander for 30 minutes.
Peel and slice the potatoes into 0.5cm thick rounds. Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the eggplant and potato slices on baking sheets, brush with olive oil, and roast for 20 minutes until tender.
Flip the vegetables halfway through roasting to ensure even browning. Remove and set aside.
Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
In a large pot, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. SAFETY: Handle raw ground beef carefully; add it to the pot and brown thoroughly until no pink remains.
Deglaze the pan with red wine and stir in the canned tomatoes, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper.
Simmer the meat sauce uncovered for 30-40 minutes over low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes to create a roux.
Gradually whisk in the whole milk to avoid lumps. Simmer until the sauce thickens significantly.
Remove from heat. Temper the egg yolks by adding a small amount of hot sauce to them before whisking them back into the main sauce along with nutmeg and half the parmesan.
In a large baking dish, layer the roasted potatoes, followed by half of the eggplant, then the spiced meat sauce, and the remaining eggplant.
Spread the béchamel sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake at 180°C for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and the dish is bubbling.
Allow the moussaka to rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing to ensure the layers hold their shape.