Lamb and Mushroom Moussaka
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4-6
Ingredients
4 desiree potatoes, sliced in 1 cm rounds
1 eggplant, cut into 1cm slices
2 capsicums, cut into quarters
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Mushroom & Lamb Sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
500g lamb mince
300g button mushrooms, finely chopped
½ tsp ground clove
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
2 x 400g cans of whole peeled tomatoes
Cheese Sauce
50g butter
50g plain flour
1L milk
250g kefalograviera cheese (or cheddar or parmesan)
2 egg yolks
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two trays with baking paper.
Drizzle half of the oil over the potatoes, eggplant and capsicum and place on the trays in one single layer. Season the vegetables with salt and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tender and golden brown. You may need to do this in batches and this step can be done the day before.
For the lamb and mushroom sauce, heat the remaining oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Now add the mushrooms and lamb and cook, stirring regularly for 5-6 minutes or until soft. Add spices, oregano and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon crush the tomatoes to break up. Bring to a boil then cover and lower heat and cook for 25-30 minutes or until thick and rich.
For the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make the roux. Now using a whisk, gradually add the milk to ensure there are no lumps. Bring the sauce to boil and once thick remove from the heat and season with salt and add 1/2 of the cheese and egg yolks.
To assemble grease a 3-litre capacity (approx.) ovenproof dish with a little oil and place the cooked potatoes followed by half of the eggplant and capsicum. Spread the lamb and mushroom sauce over the vegetables. Add the remaining vegetables and cover the top evenly with cheese sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.