Ingredients

• 1.5 kg aubergines
• 500 g waxy potatoes
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 250 ml olive oil
• 750 g minced lamb
• 2 onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 120 ml dry red wine
• 400 g ripe tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 stick cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• 2 leaves bay leaves
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 120 g butter
• 120 g plain flour
• 1 L whole milk
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 egg yolks
• 100 g kefalotyri cheese
• to taste salt
• to taste black pepper

Method

1. 01
   Salt the aubergines Lay the aubergine slices in a colander, sprinkle them with the coarse salt and leave them to sweat for thirty minutes.
2. 02
   Fry the aubergine Pat the slices dry and fry them in batches in hot olive oil until golden on both sides, then drain them on paper towels.
3. 03
   Fry the potatoes In the same oil, fry the potato slices in batches until lightly golden and just tender, then drain them and season with a little salt.
4. 04
   Soften the onions In a wide pan, warm two tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent.
5. 05
   Brown the lamb Add the garlic and minced lamb, turn up the heat and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until it is browned and no longer pink.
6. 06
   Deglaze with wine Pour in the red wine and let it bubble until most of it has evaporated.
7. 07
   Simmer the meat sauce Stir in the grated tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, allspice, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper, then simmer uncovered over low heat for forty minutes until thick.
8. 08
   Finish the sauce Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, stir in the parsley and set the sauce aside.
9. 09
   Make the roux Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook it for two minutes without letting it colour.
10. 10
    Thicken the béchamel Pour in the warm milk little by little, whisking all the time, and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon heavily.
11. 11
    Enrich the béchamel Take the pan off the heat, stir in the nutmeg and half the cheese, let it cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time.
12. 12
    Assemble the layers Heat the oven to one hundred eighty degrees Celsius, then in a deep baking dish about twenty five by thirty five centimetres layer the potatoes, half the aubergine, all the meat sauce, the rest of the aubergine, and finally the béchamel, and scatter the remaining cheese on top.
13. 13
    Bake the moussaka Bake on the middle shelf for about fifty minutes, until the top is deep golden and the edges are bubbling.
14. 14
    Rest before cutting Let the moussaka rest for at least thirty minutes before cutting it into squares.