Moussaka

Tamara West

A substantial dish using leftover roast lamb. All you need to add is a steamed green vegetable.

Ingredients

4 medium	Potatoes
2 medium	Eggplants (Main)
8	Onions, pickling variety, peeled and cut in half
¼ cup	Olive oil
500 g	Lamb, cooked (Main)
1 cup	Tomato passata (Main)
1	Bay leaf
3 ½ cups	Milk
3	Parsley stalks
1 slice	Onion
3	Black peppercorns
50 g	Butter
3 Tbsp	Flour
2	Eggs, separated
¼ cup	Grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Lightly oil a medium-sized oven-proof dish.
2. Boil the potatoes in their skins until just tender (25-30 minutes). Drain and set aside. Once cool enough to handle, slice into thick slices and peel if wished.
3. Slice off the top of the eggplants and discard. Chop eggplants into large cubes, about 4cm x 4cm. Place in a large shallow roasting dish with the onions and oil, toss well to combine, and roast for 25-30 minutes until soft and starting to brown. (Ensure the onions are very soft).
4. Slice the lamb and cut into small dice. Moisten with the tomato passata and place in the prepared oven-proof dish.
5. Increase the oven temperature to 190C.
6. Make the white sauce: pour the milk into a small heavy-based saucepan and place over a low heat. Add the bay leaf, parsley stalks, onion and peppercorns. Heat until bubbles are just starting to appear around the outside. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse.
7. Melt butter over a low heat in a heavy-based saucepan, then use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, until you have a smooth golden paste (roux).
8. Strain the infused milk into a jug, then gradually stir into the roux. Continue to stir over heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon and is smooth and shiny.
9. Beat the egg yolks into the white sauce. Whip the egg whites until they just hold shape then fold into the white sauce with the grated parmesan.
10. Place the cooked eggplant and onions over the lamb and arrange potato slices on top. Spoon over the white sauce and place in the oven. Cook until golden on top and all the ingredients are hot, 15-20 minutes if all ingredients are warm, otherwise cook for about 30 minutes.

*Tomato passata is an uncooked Italian-style sauce now available in most supermarkets.