Romanian Moussaka is not dissimilar to Greek Moussaka, just with aubergine layers replaced with potato (and no cinnamon or mint, although I have also made this all the Greek flavours too). Neither of my children are keen on aubergine, so this dish went down well even with added lentils to make up for the lack of vegetables/aubergine.
Serves 4
1kg/4-5 large potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled & diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
500g pork or beef mince
500g passata
1 can lentils (optional, diced carrot & celery, or grated courgette can be added instead)
100ml red wine or water
200g soured cream or greek yoghurt
2 eggs
200g cheddar or cascaval cheese, grated
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
Boil the potatoes with their skin on for 10 minutes, until just starting to be tender. Drain and leave to cool.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium high heat and fry the onions, and carrots and celery if using, for 5 minutes until softened.
Stir in the garlic, bayleaf, nutmeg, pepper, and chilli flakes, then add the minced meat, breaking any lumps as you fry it.
When you can no longer see any raw meat, pour in the passata, paprika, and lentils if using. Rinse the passata carton out with the wine/water and add to the pan. Bring to the boil, and simmer whilst you prepare the baking dish.
Slice the potato into 1cm slices, line a high sided lasagne/baking dish with greaseproof paper, and pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Cover the bottom of the lined baking dish with a layer of sliced potatoes, then add a layer of tomatoey mince, then another layer of potatoes, another layer of mince, and finish with any remaining potatoes arranged on the top.
Whisk the eggs into the soured cream/yoghurt along with half the grated cheese. Spread this mixture evening over the mince & potatoes, and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180C.
Serve hot, with salad or pickled vegetables.
