Photo: Key West Wedding Photography · CC BY 2.0
Yaya’s Moussaka
Yaya makes moussaka in a large rectangular baking dish, using potato layers on ¾ of the pan and eggplant layers on ¼. As she would say, “This way, I keep everyone happy, right?”
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After peeling and slicing potatoes, place them in water to keep them from turning brown.
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Meanwhile, if you are doing eggplant, wash and slice the eggplant crosswise in ¾ inch slices. Place on a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil on both sides. Place under broiler, browning on both sides until tan.
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Into the oven until golden and bubbling. Photo: Shixart1985 · CC BY 2.0 -
In a large saucepan, sauté onion in a little olive oil until limp. Add meat and brown thoroughly. Add tomato sauce and water and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
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Brown the meat well — that’s the flavor. Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5 -
In a large baking pan, layer potato and meat sauce in the pan, leaving potato on top. If eggplant is used, layer eggplant on the opposite side of the pan from the potato, alternating eggplant with meat sauce and ending up with eggplant on top.
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Add a little more water to slightly cover the potato/eggplant on top. Bake moussaka on the lower rack of the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until potato is tender when pierced with a fork.
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Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with kalamata olives and a Greek salad!
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