Moussaka

This was not going to be a quick recipe because of the number of steps in it so I was pleasantly surprised when I had it done in less than two hours. I was at Hagerman Farms buying squash when I saw the fat eggplant and I thought I should make Moussaka for dinner. My mom always made classic Moussaka with lamb and eggplant; no potato and instead of béchamel on top she would mix egg into yogurt and bake it topped with that.

My husband does not like eggplant or potato so when I saw the sweet potato at the farm I thought that might distract from the eggplant. I want thick yogurt so I buy full fat Astro and put it in a sieve over a bowl to drain the liquid and thicken naturally. The eggplant should be fried in oil and cooked completely or it will taste icky. It takes a lot of oil and I thought I could make it with less oil by spraying on olive oil and baking in the oven with the sweet potato.

My mom didn’t really like it. She thought the eggplant was too thick and should have been fried and found the potato weird even though she loves sweet potato. I did like the sweet potato and thought squash might be good as well but let’s not call it Moussaka. A layered lamb and root vegetable casserole would be more appropriate. Anyway by the time the vegetables were roasted, everything was ready to assemble; I put it together quickly after that and it was mostly delicious. The yogurt topping was tangy and if the eggplant had been thinner and well fried it would have been better. I added the panko last minute for a little crunch.

Lamb Moussaka with sweet potato

750ml full fat Astro yogurt

3 large eggplants

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 extra-large sweet potatoes

Olive oil spray

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 lbs. ground lamb

4 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz. can diced plum tomatoes

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer yogurt to a small sieve inside a bowl and set in fridge to drain. Slice eggplant into ½-inch rounds, sprinkle salt on both sides and set in a large colander in the sink for 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant and squeeze out moisture. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place eggplant and potato slices on parchment lined baking sheets and spray or brush generously with olive oil. Season potato with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender. Heat large pot over medium-high and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add in onions and sauté until soft. Add lamb and cook for 10 minutes, stir with wooden spoon to break up chunks. Drain off fat; add garlic, tomatoes, wine, paste, rosemary and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes until thickened. To assemble; oil bottom of deep casserole dish, layer half potatoes in, cover with 1/3 of eggplant. Spread half of meat sauce on top. Another 1/3 of eggplant, then rest of meat. Finish with rest of potatoes, then eggplant. Drain yogurt, put in bowl and stir in eggs; spread on top of eggplant. Sprinkle top with panko crumbs. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes until hot, bubbling and golden on top.