Greek Moussaka With Potatoes Recipes

GREEK MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Remove the stalks from the eggplants and slice them lengthways into 1/2-inch (1 cm) slices. Place them in a colander, season with salt and cover with an inverted plate. Place the colander in the sink and leave it for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/2-inch (1 cm) rounds.
• Heat the oven to 392°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Rinse the eggplants with plenty of water and dry with paper towels. Place the slices on the baking sheets and brush with olive oil. Season and bake for about 20 minutes. Place them on paper towel to dry them.
• Repeat the same procedure with potatoes. Place them on the baking seed, brush with olive oil and season. Bake for about 20-30 minutes and place on paper towel to dry.
• Meanwhile, in a large pan or heavy-bottomed pot, over medium to high heat, brown the ground meat until the pink color disappears about 10 minutes. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and cook for a further couple of minutes cooking, until the mixture is quite dry.
• Add the tomato paste and sauté for a couple of minutes until incorporated. Stir in the tomato, bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down low and cook for 30-40 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste.
• Place a big pot over medium heat. Add the milk and let it warm up for a while. Add the butter and let it melt.
• Add 2 cups of the warmed milk to another pot and stir in the cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is incorporated. When the cornstarch mixture is ready, pour it in the big pot with the milk-butter mixture.
• Simmer over low-medium heat and whisk continuously about 10 minutes until it thickens a bit.
• Remove from heat, and stir in the beaten eggs, the cheese and a pinch of nutmeg (optional). Stir well. Return to the heat and stir until sauce thickens a bit more but not too much. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 392°F (200°C).
• Lightly grease a large deep baking pan. Spread a layer of potatoes and season. Cover with a layer of eggplants and sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Spread the ground meat over the vegetables. Cover with another layer of eggplants. Then finish with the béchamel smoothing the top over with a palette knife or spatula. Sprinkle with grated cheese (optional).
• Put in the center of the oven and cook for 60-75 mins until deep golden brown. If it browns too much during cooking, cover the dish with parchment paper. Set aside for at least 20 mins to cool before slicing and serving.

BEEF AND POTATO MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, 7-9 minutes, breaking into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in water, tomato paste, parsley, salt, mint if desired, cinnamon and pepper. Set aside., For sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Add cheese and salt., Place half of the potato slices in a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Top with half the cheese sauce and all of the meat mixture. Arrange remaining potatoes over meat mixture; top with remaining cheese sauce., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.