Potato Casserole with Eggplant and Ground Meat under Bechamel
Structurally this is moussaka turned upside down: potato on the bottom instead of eggplant, sliced almost translucent on a mandoline, with the eggplant on top under bechamel and melted Emmental. Between them sits ground beef braised with onion, sweet pepper, and tomato, finished with parsley and mint. The mint is what settles the dish’s identity — without it you have a potato bake, with it something recognisably Mediterranean.
Blot the eggplant with paper towel after slicing, without fail. Over fifty minutes in the oven it gives up a surprising amount of water, and if you haven’t dealt with that first, the bechamel thins to milk and the potato layer boils rather than bakes.
Three things worth getting right
- Cut the potato 3 to 4 mm thick, about an eighth of an inch: thicker and it lags behind the meat, thinner and it disintegrates into puree.
- Grate a little nutmeg into the bechamel — against the paprika in the meat it strikes the same balance classic moussaka relies on.
- Emmental can become kefalotyri, which is closer to the Greek original, or Parmesan for a saltier, drier crust.
Above all, give it 20 to 30 minutes of rest out of the oven. Hot layers won’t hold and slide apart under the knife.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to the required temperature.
Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler and slice them into rounds on a mandoline slicer. Spread in a layer on the bottom of the dish.
Chop the onion. Cut the peppers and tomatoes.
Saute the onion, peppers, and tomato in a skillet for 5 minutes, then add the ground meat to the vegetables and braise for another 15 minutes, stirring. Add the chopped herbs (parsley and mint). Spread the mixture in an even layer over the potatoes.
Slice the eggplant, blot with a paper towel, and lay it as the top layer, pour over the bechamel sauce, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Place the dish in the oven and cook for 50 minutes.
After cooking, let the dish stand for 20–30 minutes, cut into portions, and serve as a main course.
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