Moussaka With Sautéed Potatoes Recipes

TRADITIONAL MOUSSAKA RECIPE WITH EGGPLANTS (AUBERGINES) AND POTATOES

Steps:

• To prepare this Greek moussaka recipe, begin by preparing the eggplants. Remove the stalks from the eggplants and cut them into slices, 1 cm thick. Season with salt and place in a colander for about half an hour.
• and squeeze with your hands, to get rid of the excessive water. Pat them dry and fry in plenty of oil, until nicely colored. Place the fried eggplants on some paper, in order to absorb the oil. (For a lighter version of the traditional Greek moussaka try drizzling the aubergines with some olive oil and bake them for 20 minutes instead of frying them). Set aside when done.
• If you are adding potatoes to your moussaka, now its time to slice them into 0.5cm, half a finger width slices. Fry them or bake them in the same way as the eggplants. Season with some salt and set them aside when done.
• for the moussaka. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté, until softened and slightly colored. Stir in the mince breaking it up with a wooden spoon and sauté. When it starts to brown, add the the garlic and tomato paste and sauté until the garlic starts to soften. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the meat juices and wait to evaporate. Add the tinned tomatoes, the sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes or until most of the juices have evaporated. Set aside when done.
• for the moussaka. Use a large pan to melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add warmed milk in a steady stream; keep whisking in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat while continuing to stir. Its consistency should resemble a thick cream.
• Remove the béchamel pan from the stove and stir in the egg yolks, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and the most of the grated cheese. Reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top! Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning an omelette! Season with salt to taste. Take one spoon full of béchamel and stir it in the meat sauce. Set the béchamel sauce aside.
• Now its time to assemble the moussaka. For this moussaka recipe you will need a large baking dish, approx. 20x30cm / 8x12inch and 8cm/3 inch deep). Butter the bottom and sides of the pan and layer the potatoes first (if you're using them), then half the eggplants. Pour in all of the meat sauce and spread it out evenly. Add a second layer of eggplants, top with all of the béchamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula.
• . Preheat you oven at 180C/350F and bake your musaka for about 60 minutes or until its crust turns light golden brown. Even though it will be really hard to do so, you should wait for the moussaka to cool down and be just warm to the touch before cutting into pieces. This will prevent the béchamel sauce from pouring out when you're cutting your pieces.
• Serve the Moussaka with a refreshing Traditional Greek Salad and enjoy over a glass of wine!

MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. Arrange potato and eggplant slices in 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans, overlapping as needed. Bake until cooked through, 20 minutes. Set aside; reduce oven setting to 400°., In a large skillet, cook lamb, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, 7-9 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Stir in tomatoes, water, tomato paste, 1/4 teaspoon salt, oregano, paprika, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes., In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg., Arrange par-cooked potatoes in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, overlapping as needed. Top with lamb mixture. Arrange eggplant over top, overlapping as needed. , Top with bechamel sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

MOUSSAKA WITH SAUTéED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
• Cut the aubergines in half, and carefully scoop out the flesh, leaving the skins to one side. Cut the aubergine flesh into small cubes.
• Heat a frying pan over a medium heat until hot, then add the olive oil and aubergines and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the onion and garlic and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until the onions have softened and the aubergines are starting to turn golden-brown.
• Add the lamb mince and cook for 4-5 minutes, until browned.
• Add the tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, dried oregano and red wine and cook for 2-3 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon as you cook.
• Add the mint and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Spoon the aubergine mixture into the reserved aubergine skins and place onto a roasting tray.
• Place the butter into a pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the flour and cook, stirring well, for one minute. Add the hot milk and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture has thickened.
• Add the eggs, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add the nutmeg.
• Add half of the grated cheddar and mozzarella and continue to cook, stirring, until combined as a smooth sauce.
• Spoon equal amounts of the cheese sauce over the top of each of the stuffed aubergines, then sprinkle with the remaining grated cheddar and mozzarella.
• Transfer the stuffed aubergines to the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese topping is golden-brown and bubbling.
• Meanwhile, for the sautéed potatoes, heat a frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Add the olive oil and potatoes and fry, turning occasionally, for 7-8 minutes, or until golden-brown all over and tender.
• Season the potatoes with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the flatleaf parsley and stir well.
• To serve, place a stuffed aubergine onto each plate and place a spoonful of sautéed potatoes alongside.

GREEK MOUSSAKA WITH POTATOES RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onions. Sauté until translucent, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the ground meat and continue to sauté until no longer pink. Drain the skillet.
• Add tomatoes, breadcrumbs, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, cloves, salt, pepper, wine, and tomato paste. Mix well.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low. Cover with the lid slightly cracked and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is gone, about 45 minutes. If there is still liquid in pan, continue to simmer uncovered, stirring to prevent sticking, until the mixture is as dry as possible without burning. This step is crucial to prevent the final dish from having too much moisture.
• Discard bay leaves, and cinnamon stick (if used), adjust salt and pepper to taste, and set sauce aside uncovered until ready to use. Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 400 F.
• Toss the potatoes on 2 rimmed baking sheets with enough oil to coat. Arrange the slices in single layers. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Roast until the potatoes are light golden, flipping the baking sheets half way through cooking, about 45 minutes total. Set aside until ready to use.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat until warm.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Slowly add the flour, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps. Continue to cook until the mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Increase heat to medium-low. Slowly add the milk while whisking continuously. Whisk until sauce begins to thicken, 12 to 13 minutes. It should be creamy, yet thick.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks together. While whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the béchamel mixture. Continue to whisk in another 2 to 3 tablespoons of the béchamel mixture.
• Return the béchamel-yolk mixture to the béchamel pan. Remove from the heat and whisk until well-combined. Set aside until ready to use.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Reposition a rack in the center of the oven and lower the heat to 350 F. Generously spray a large baking or roasting pan (about 15 x 10 x 2, or 5 quart) with cooking spray. Sprinkle bottom of the pan with breadcrumbs. Place a layer of potato slices on the breadcrumbs. It's OK to overlap.
• Spread meat sauce evenly on top of the potatoes, pressing it down lightly all the way to the sides of the pan.
• Cover evenly with the remaining potato slices. Slowly pour the béchamel sauce over top and spread evenly with a spatula, if necessary.
• Transfer the pan to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the béchamel sauce begins to set, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top. Continue to bake until golden and bubbling around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes more.
• Remove moussaka from oven and allow to cool for 20 to 30 minutes.