Traditional Lamb Moussaka
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(0 votes)
Difficulty:
moderate
Difficulty
Preparation:
20 min.
Preparation
ready in 2 h. 15 min.
Ready in
Ingredients
for
6
- Ingredients
- 2 medium Eggplant rinsed; trimmed and diced (about 2 pounds)
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt (divided)
- ¼ cup good-quality olive oil
- 4 ½ cups Yukon gold potato (peeled and diced)
- 0.333 cup milk
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan (divided)
- 4 Tbsps butter (at room temperature)
- ¼ tsp grated Nutmeg
- 16 ozs ground lamb (may substitute beef)
- 1 large onion (peeled and finely chopped)
- 2 Cinnamon stick (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 2 cloves garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 2 medium-ripe Tomatoes (rinsed; trimmed and chopped)
- 2 Tbsps Tomato paste
- ½ tsp freshly ground Black pepper
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 Tbsp breadcrumbs
Preparation steps
1.
In a colander, toss the diced eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt. Drain in the sink for 15 minutes.
2.
Preheat oven to 450ºF / 230ºC.
3.
Toss the drained eggplant with the olive oil and spread on a large baking sheet. Roast, turning occasionally, until golden and tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400º F / 200ºC.
4.
While the eggplant is roasting, bring 6 cups of water, the potatoes and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large pot, set over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes; drain and return potatoes to the warm pot. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg yolk. Mash potatoes with milk mixture, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, butter, and nutmeg. Set aside.
5.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the lamb, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Season with salt. Push the lamb to one side of the pan and drain most of the fat from the skillet. Add the onions and cinnamon sticks to the skillet and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Combine the lamb and onions; add the garlic and ground clove. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are soft and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplant and raisins.
6.
Spoon lamb and eggplant mixture into into a greased casserole dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the lamb mixture. Sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake until top is golden brown and slightly crusty, about 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
