Beef Moussaka with Potatoes & Spinach

There was a bit of a Greek theme yesterday. We had Gyros for lunch, followed by Moussaka.

Wanting to use up a lot of homegrown chard and potatoes, I roughly followed Akis Petretzikis How to Make Greek Moussaka video on Jamie Oliver's Food Tube, using wilted chard instead of aubergine and potato, and mature cheddar instead of parmesan.

The children's verdict was, tasty but not as good as lasagna because there was no pasta in it.

Serves 6

1kg potatoes
Bag of spinach, washed 

500g beef mince

2 onion, peeled 

1 large garlic clove, peeled & crushed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 clove

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tin chopped tomatoes

100g butter

100g plain flour

750ml whole milk

1 large free range egg

50g grated cheddar

Olive oil

Fresh thyme

A pinch of nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C

Slice the potatoes into 2cm slices. Toss the potatoes and one onion (sliced) in about 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp of thyme leaves, and a large pinch of salt. Spread in an even layer or two over the base of a high sided baking dish and bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and wilt the washed spinach.  Splash a little water in if the spinach is not dripping with water when you add it. When wilted, remove with tongs to a plate.

Wipe the saucepan out then add 1 tbsp of oil and fry the remaining onion (chopped) over a high heat until it starts to brown. Add the garlic, stir fry for minute, add the cinnamon and clove and fry for a further minute, then add the tomato paste and fry again for another minute.  Add the beef mince, breaking the mince up with a wooden spoon then add the chopped tomatoes and seasoning and cook for 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and leave to one side.

In a separate saucepan add the cold milk, butter, and flour.  Whisk over a medium heat to incorporate the flour, then switch to a wooden spoon or spatula with a flat bottom and continually stir the white sauce, checking it is not setting/sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the sauce starts to thicken, turn the heat down low but continue to cook and stir for a further 5 minutes until it starts to bubble. Turn off the heat, stir in the egg,  and season with pepper and nutmeg. Add 1/3rd of the sauce to the cooked mince.

When the potatoes have had 40 minutes in the oven, take them out and start layering the moussaka. Spread the wilted chard over the potatoes, then the mince with the sauce mixed in, then the remaining white sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheddar and bake for 25-30 minutes or golden brown and bubbling.

Akis Petretzikis said to leave this for at least 1 hour before serving, to allow the sauce and meat to set! We managed about half an hour, and then tucked in with a green salad on the side.

Twitter: leesashomemade

Instagram: leesashomemade

Facebook: Leesa's Homemade