Greek Moussaka

Potatoes 14. Peel the potatoes. 15. Slice the potatoes 5 mm thick. 16. Bring 2,000 ml water to a boil. 17. Stir 10 g salt into the boiling water. 18. Blanch the potato slices for 5 minutes. 19. Drain the potatoes. 20. Pat the potato slices dry. 21. Brush the potato slices with 10 ml olive oil.

Meat sauce 22. Dice the onion into 5 mm pieces. 23. Mince the garlic. 24. Heat 25 ml olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 25. Cook the onion for 5 minutes. 26. Add the garlic to the skillet. 27. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds. 28. Add the ground lamb to the skillet. 29. Break up the meat with a spoon. 30. Brown the meat for 6 minutes. 31. Spoon off excess fat. 32. Stir in the tomato paste. 33. Cook the tomato paste for 2 minutes. 34. Pour in the red wine. 35. Scrape the pan to release browned bits. 36. Reduce the wine for 2 minutes. 37. Stir in the crushed tomatoes. 38. Stir in the oregano. 39. Stir in the cinnamon. 40. Stir in the allspice. 41. Add the bay leaves. 42. Stir in the sugar. 43. Season the sauce with 8 g salt and 2 g black pepper. 44. Simmer the sauce over low heat for 25 minutes. 45. Remove the bay leaves. 46. Stir in the parsley.

Béchamel 47. Warm the milk in a saucepan until steaming. 48. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat. 49. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. 50. Cook the roux for 3 minutes. 51. Whisk in the warm milk gradually until smooth. 52. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. 53. Cook the sauce for 5 minutes. 54. Remove the saucepan from the heat. 55. Whisk in 8 g salt, 1 g white pepper, and 1 g nutmeg. 56. Whisk in 60 g grated cheese. 57. Cool the sauce for 5 minutes. 58. Whisk the beaten eggs into the sauce.

Assembly and baking 59. Grease a 23 × 33 cm baking dish with 5 ml olive oil. 60. Lay the potato slices in an even layer in the dish. 61. Layer half the eggplant over the potatoes. 62. Spread all the meat sauce over the eggplant. 63. Layer the remaining eggplant over the sauce. 64. Pour the béchamel over the top. 65. Smooth the surface with a spatula. 66. Sprinkle 20 g grated cheese over the béchamel. 67. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. 68. Bake for 45 minutes at 180°C. 69. Rest the moussaka for 30 minutes. 70. Slice and serve.

Notes

• Eggplant prep: Salting and roasting concentrates flavor and prevents sogginess; frying is traditional but heavier. For frying, shallow-fry slices in 180°C olive oil until golden and drain well.
• Meat choice: Ground lamb is classic; beef is a common substitute and can be used 1:1.
• Cheese: Kefalotyri or Kefalograviera are traditional; Parmesan or Pecorino Romano are reliable substitutes.
• Make-ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate; bake from cold and add 10–15 minutes. Freeze unbaked (wrapped) up to 2 months and bake from frozen at 180°C for 75–90 minutes.
• Gluten-free: Replace flour with 80 g cornstarch by making a slurry with some cold milk, then whisk into hot milk for a smooth thick béchamel.
• Serve with: Greek salad, crusty bread, and a light red or dry rosé.
• Related classics: Pastitsio (Greek baked pasta with meat sauce and béchamel) and Lasagna alla Bolognese use similar layering and sauce techniques.