Last month, a recipe in the New York Times caught my eye: shortcut moussaka. I like shortcuts, and I really like moussaka, a traditional Greek dish of layered eggplant, potato, and ground lamb covered in bechamel sauce. After spending nearly an hour in the kitchen and dirtying multiple pots and pans, I'm not sure this recipe really deserves its "shortcut" moniker, but it was pretty good and quite comforting, like a Greek shepherd's pie, so I'm sharing it with you, with a few of my tweaks included.
Here's the recipe, which serves 6:
2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese + 2 tablespoons more for sprinkling on top before baking
1/4 cup parmesan cheese + 1 tablespoon more sprinkling on top before baking
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used Smart Balance Light - worked fine)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 lb ground lamb
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
salt and pepper
1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and drain in a colander for 15 minutes.
2. Mix eggplant with olive oil and fresh ground pepper, spread on a large baking sheet, and roast until golden and tender, about 40 minutes, and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
3. In a large saucepan, immerse the potatoes in cold salted water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to warm pot. Stir in milk, egg yolk, cheese, butter, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and mash until potatoes are fairly smooth.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the lamb, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. (If you have a lot of grease from the lamb, remove all about 1 tablespoon.) Add onions and cinnamon sticks and cook until the onions are soft. Stir in the allspice and garlic and cook for two minutes more. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks, add the roasted eggplant, and stir to combine.
5. Transfer the lamb-eggplant mixture to a large baking dish and top with mashed potato mixture. Sprinkle with additional cheese and bake until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
I served the moussaka with stewed gigante beans and some roasted vegetables.
