The Hairy Bikers' moussaka
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 1 to 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 6
- Dietary
- Nut-free
This delicious lamb moussaka recipe from the Hairy Bikers is a joy to behold, with cinnamon-spiced lamb mingling with aubergines and a delicious creamy sauce. It's a wonderful meal for a family occasion or get together with friends as it can be made ahead for stress free entertaining.
Each serving provides 678 kcal, 34g protein, 34g carbohydrates (of which 10g sugars), 41g fat (of which 16.5g saturates), 6g fibre and 1.2g salt.
Ingredients
- 750g/1lb 10oz lamb mince
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1½ tsp dried mint
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 200ml/7fl oz red wine
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 aubergines, cut into 5mm/¼in slices
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
- 500g/1lb 2oz Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the béchamel sauce
Method
Put the lamb, onion, garlic, oregano, mint, bay and cinnamon in a large heavy-based frying pan. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the meat.
Stir in the flour and add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Add the wine, tomatoes and tomato purée and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened. Season again if needed and set aside.
Meanwhile, place the aubergine slices in a colander and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Rinse the aubergine slices under cold running water and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan and fry the aubergines for 2–3 minutes on each side, adding more oil when necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes. Gently tip into a colander and put under cold running water to cool.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a few seconds, then gradually stir in the milk. Add half the Parmesan and the grated nutmeg. Simmer the sauce gently for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the sauce to cool. When cooled, stir in the egg.
Spoon one-third of the meat sauce into a shallow ovenproof dish large enough to hold 2.5 litres/4½ pints. Cover loosely with a third of the potatoes and then a third of the aubergines – you don't need complete layers, just to arrange them roughly on top.
Repeat the layers twice more, finishing with the aubergines.
Pour over the white sauce, making sure it covers everything in a thick, even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until deep golden-brown and bubbling.
Recipe tips
Maris Piper potatoes work particularly well for this recipe as they are firm enough to hold their shape while remaining soft enough to soak up lots of flavour, but any potato variety will do. Try and choose potatoes that are similar in size if you can. They’ll need to be cut into roughly 5mm/¼in slices and you can leave the peel on if you wash them well. After bringing to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer so they don’t bash together in the pan and fall apart.
You can freeze any leftover lamb mince from the packet. Wrap tightly in foil or place in a freezer bag and squeeze out as much of the excess air as possible. Seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove the wrapping and thaw overnight in a covered bowl in the fridge. Use the same day.
If your lamb is very fatty, you can spoon off any excess that rises to the surface with a spoon once the meat sauce is cooked. A large serving or spoon works best for this.
If you aren’t keen on the flavour of lamb, you can make the moussaka with beef mince instead. It won’t be as traditional, but it will still taste great. You can add 200ml/7fl oz lamb or beef stock instead of the wine if you like. Instead of Parmesan, you can use any other hard cheese – both pecorino and grana pandano work.
Swap the aubergines for slices cut from 3–4 large courgettes instead – you don’t need to salt them before frying, just trim off each end. A great way to use up homegrown courgettes if you have a glut and you can skip the frying stage if you are stuck for time. You can use courgette in addition to the aubergine too if you like and make the moussaka go further.
The bechamel sauce doesn’t need to be completely cold when you stir in the egg, but leaving it for around 10 minutes means the egg will mix in smoothly (with no risk of it scrambling). You could leave the egg out altogether, but the sauce won’t be quite as light.
Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir the milk into the sauce, and don’t forget to add just a little milk at a time, stirring hard until it is all absorbed and the mixture thickens. If you add too much milk too quickly, your sauce could go lumpy. Most lumps will disappear if you whisk vigorously enough with a metal whisk, but if there are any very stubborn ones, simply pass the sauce through a sieve and into a clean pan. You could also use a stick blender to help rescue the sauce.
Don’t forget to use a silicone covered whisk if you are using a non-stick saucepan to make the sauce – if you don’t have one, you can pour the lumpy sauce into a bowl, whisk hard with a metal whisk to remove the lumps and then transfer to a clean pan before adding the cheeses.
How make ahead
You can assemble the moussaka up to 48 hours ahead of baking. Allow it to cool thoroughly before covering the surface with foil and placing in the fridge. Take out of the fridge 60 minutes before baking.
How to freeze
As all the ingredients are already cooked before assembling, the moussaka can also be frozen before baking. Make sure you use a freezer-proof dish and leave to cool once assembled. Once cold, cover the surface with baking paper then wrap in a double layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove the foil and thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before baking, adding an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time. Make sure it is piping hot throughout.
