Greek moussaka

Begin by preparing the aubergine and potatoes (3 potatoes). Remove the tops of the aubergines (3) and slice lengthways into 5mm slices. Lightly season with salt on each side and set to one side while you prepare the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and slice them to the same thickness as the aubergine.

Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil for shallow frying. Fry the potatoes (3 potatoes) for 3 minutes on each side in batches until they are golden brown.

Rinse the salt off of the aubergine (3) in cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Fry in the same pan until all aubergine slices are golden on each side. Leave the potatoes (3 potatoes) and aubergine to one side while we make the meat sauce.

For the meat sauce, cut one onion into small dice and finely grate or dice 2 cloves of garlic (2 garlic). Place a large pan over medium heat and drizzle in the olive oil (30 ml). Sauté the onions (1 onion) for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and then add in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Next, add the beef or lamb mince (750 g) and cook it until it turns brown. Then add the ground cinnamon (1 tsp), dried thyme (1 tsp) and tomato paste (60 g). Mix and cook for 1 minute before adding in 2 bay leaves (2 leaves), chopped tomatoes (400 g) and beef stock or red wine (200 ml). Season to your taste with salt and pepper and allow it to simmer and thicken up to 25 to 30 minutes.

To make the béchamel sauce, place two saucepans over low heat. Add the milk (1 l) into one pan and the butter (120 g) into the other pan. Once the butter has melted add the flour (120 g). Mix until it comes together into a paste and cook it for 2 minutes while continuously stirring.

Gradually ladle in the warm milk (1 l) while stirring until it's fully incorporated and you have a smooth and thick sauce. At this stage add the grated parmesan cheese (85 g) and grate in a little bit of nutmeg. Stir together before mixing through two egg yolks (2 yolks) for richness and seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper. Now, before assembling our Moussaka we need to add 4 to 5 tablespoons of the béchamel sauce into the meat sauce and mix it thoroughly.

To assemble the Moussaka, begin by laying the fried potato in an even layer on the bottom of your ovenproof dish and lightly season with a sprinkle of salt. Then, use half of the aubergine (3) and cover the potatoes (3 potatoes) in an even layer. Next, place in all of the meat sauce and then another layer of aubergine before topping it with all of the béchamel sauce. Finally, grate over as much or as little parmesan cheese (85 g) as you like.

Place into a preheated oven at 180°C Fan for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and crisp on top. Leave to cook for a minimum of 45 minutes before cutting it into portions.