Moussaka

An alternative way to make this dish is to start with a third of the cooked meat in the bottom of the slow cooker, add a layer of potato or replace the potato with eggplant, top that with another third of the meat, add the eggplant layer, and top that with the remaining meat.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small eggplant, peeled and sliced
• 1 pound lean ground lamb or beef
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 3 cups low-fat milk
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (4 ounces) Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated

1. Use the oil to grease the crock of the slow cooker. Arrange the potato slices over the bottom of the slow cooker, and arrange the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes.
2. Sauté the ground lamb or beef, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 8 minutes or until the meat is browned and the onions are tender. Skim off any fat rendered from the meat and discard. Stir in the ground cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, allspice, cayenne pepper, and salt, breaking apart the meat as you do so. Stir in the wine and tomatoes; reduce the heat and, stirring occasionally, simmer for 10 minutes or until much of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
3. Transfer the meat mixture to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours or until the potatoes are cooked through.
4. Add ½ cup of the milk and the flour to a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; whisk to make a paste and then slowly whisk in the remaining milk. Stirring constantly, cook for 10 minutes or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg. Whisk the eggs and some of the thickened milk together in a bowl, and then whisk the egg mixture into the thickened milk sauce. Stir in the cheese.
5. Pour the cheese and milk mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until the topping is firm. Turn off the slow cooker and let the moussaka rest for 30 minutes before serving.