Moussaka

Loved by Lucy* (Guest Services Agent)

INGREDIENTS

4 medium sized potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing

1 red onion, sliced

500g lamb mince

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon mixed spice

500ml passata

2 eggplants, cut into slices

300ml tub crème fraîche

140g cheddar cheese, grated

Time

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves

8

Storage

Keeps well in the refrigerator 3 - 4 days and reheats beautifully

METHOD

Boil. Cook the whole potatoes on the stove-top for 25 - 40 minutes, just until tender. Drain and allow to cool.

Fry. Using the same pan (minus the potatoes!), heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the onion. Cook until softened, then add the lamb. Fry the lamb for 5 minutes or until cooked through and starting to char. Add the garlic and spice, and stir in the passata. Bring to a simmer, then season to taste, take off the heat and set aside until needed.

Preheat, Grill and bake. Set the oven to 430°F, then warm a griddle pan over a high heat and brush a little oil over the eggplants. Grill for 2 - 3 minutes each side or until char lines appear. You may have to do this in 3 - 4 batches.

Construct. Once cool enough to handle, cut the boiled potatoes into thick slices. Put 1 tablespoon oil in the base of a deep ovenproof dish and start with a layer of potatoes, then eggplants, a sprinkling of seasoning, then a layer of the lamb mixture. Repeat until all the mixture is used up, ending with a layer of eggplants. Spread the crème fraîche over the top and scatter with the cheese. Put in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

Substitute the lamb ground for store-bought, plant-based ground substitutes like Gardein. Or make your own with plant-based substitutes like lentils (pictured above), tofu and cauliflower.
Substitute the crème fraîche for store-bought, plant-based crème fraîche. Or make your own plant-based version with this recipe.
Substitute the cheddar cheese for store-bought, plant-based cheddar cheese.
To make this plastic-free you could omit the cheese and make the veggie ground from scratch using cauliflower bought fresh and plastic-free from markets, CSA programs and even some supermarkets.
You could further avoid plastic by making your own crème fraîche using the plant-based recipe previously mentioned.
Support your local farmers by looking to your local Farmers' Market and stockists of locally farmed vegetables and products such as plant-based Black Sheep Vegan Cheeze or Blue Heron Creamery, or find a list of BC's artisinal dairy cheese producers here.
For the lamb, look for farm to plate options such as Hop Creek Farm in Brackendale who have an on-site Farm Stand or can deliver bulk orders to homes in Squamish and beyond.
Potatoes are typically available fresh in BC July through December, onions August through March, cauliflower June through November and eggplants July through October
Check out what foods are in season in BC when HERE.
You can also look at We Heart Local BC for updates each month as to what's in season.Another great way to ensure you're using seasonal produce is to subscribe to a CSA Box with a local farm and structure your meals around the seasonal produce you've received that week!

*Adapted from BBC GoodFood (Miriam Nice) Easy Moussaka

Photos by Keir Atkinson