Beef Moussaka Casserole

Ingredients

• 900 g Aubergine
• 650 g Potato
• 200 g Onion
• 4 clove Garlic
• 700 g Beef Mince
• 60 ml Olive oil
• 40 g Tomato paste
• 800 g Canned tomatoes
• 3 g Dried Oregano
• 1 g Cinnamon
• 1 Bay leaf(optional)
• 14 g Salt
• 2 g Black pepper
• 60 g Butter
• 60 g All-Purpose Flour
• 700 ml Milk
• 1 g Nutmeg
• 70 g Parmesan
• 2 Eggs
• 150 ml Water

Method

1. 1

   Heat oven to 220°C. Slice eggplant into 10–12mm rounds. Peel potatoes and slice into 5–7mm rounds. Lay both on trays, drizzle with 45ml olive oil, season with 8g salt and 1g black pepper, and toss to coat.

2. 2

   Roast eggplant and potatoes until tender and lightly browned, flipping once halfway. Eggplant should look collapsed and glossy; potatoes should be flexible, not crunchy.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, finely chop onion and mince garlic. Heat 15ml olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion with 2g salt and cook until softened and starting to golden.

4. 4

   Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small crumbles, until no longer pink and some bits are browned. Stir in garlic for the last 1 minute.

5. 5

   Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute, then add canned tomatoes, 150ml water, oregano, cinnamon, bay leaf (optional), remaining salt, and remaining black pepper. Simmer until thick and spoonable (not watery). Remove bay leaf.

6. 6

   Make the béchamel: melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes until it smells toasty. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Cook, whisking, until very thick (it should mound slightly). Season with nutmeg and 2g salt, then whisk in Parmesan. Take off heat and whisk in eggs quickly so they don’t scramble.

7. 7

   Assemble: lower oven to 190°C. In a 33x23cm baking dish, layer half the potatoes, then half the eggplant. Spread all the beef sauce over (pressing it into an even layer), then top with remaining eggplant and remaining potatoes. Pour béchamel over and smooth to the edges.

8. 8

   Bake until deeply golden on top and set in the center. Rest 20 minutes before slicing so it holds together cleanly.