Name: Feta Moussaka
Ingredients: onion; salt; black pepper; dried mint; dried marjoram; garlic; ground lamb; eggplant; olive oil; russet potatoes; tomato paste; crushed tomatoes; dried oregano; feta cheese

Liana Krissoff

Feta Moussaka

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Slow Cook Modern

By Liana Krissoff

Published 2017

About

WITH simple garlic spinach

ALSO GOOD WITH grizzled asparagus OR dilled cucumbers

It may be a little sloppy, and not as compact as a baked moussaka held together with béchamel, but this one has all the right flavors and (most of the) classic textures of tender layered potato slices and mint-scented lamb sauce. I’ve also made versions in which the feta is sprinkled atop each potato layer, but this method, with feta simply spread on top at the end of cooking, is simpler.

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 eggplant (about 1¼ pounds/570 g), peeled and cut into slabs ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound (455 g) ground lamb
1½ teaspoons dried mint
½ teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
1 (14.5-ounce/411-g) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6-ounce/170-g) can tomato paste
2 small russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 ounces (115 g) feta cheese, crumbled

Method

Morning

In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat a thin film of oil over medium-high heat. Add a couple of slabs of eggplant and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until seared, about 1 minute per side, and remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

In the same skillet, swirl 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb and cook, stirring, until most of the pink has disappeared, 3 to 5 minutes; drain and add the mint, marjoram, 1 teaspoon salt, several grindings of pepper, the tomatoes, and tomato paste.

In the slow cooker, make layers, lightly sprinkling the potato layers with salt and pepper: eggplant slices, lamb sauce, potatoes—repeating until the ingredients are used up and ending with sauce. Cover, inserting a heavy-duty paper towel underneath the lid to collect condensation, and cook on low for 8 hours.

Evening

Sprinkle the feta over the top and let stand until the cheese has softened a bit and the casserole has settled. Use a thin metal spatula to cut down through the layers and lift out servings.