For me this was a 2 1/2 hour ordeal so I strongly suggest preparing this dish a day ahead if you're pressed for time. For the eggplant, I lightly sprayed a skillet with cooking spray and browned both sides until the eggplant was pliable but not mushy. It's also key to salt and drain them well to draw out excess water and lessen the bitterness. I nuked 2 potatoes in the microwave, peeled, and sliced into rounds.Then, I added it to the bottom layer.Also, I used 1 whole cinnamon stick broken into thirds instead of ground cinnamon.For the mysterious fines herbs I used dried oregano,thyme,basil,and tarragon to taste. Come to find out, according to Wikipedia, fines herbs consists of PARSLEY, TARRAGON, CHIVES, and CHERVIL. Who knew? I had 85/15 beef, but I still had to drain the fat after browning it.Simmer the sauce until it's the consistency of thick meat sauce for lasagna;not runny sauce for spaghetti. I added about 2/3 cup plain bread crumbs for it to set up for easier serving.The only thing I changed about the bechamel was I quickly whisked in 3 egg yolks to the sauce during the last couple of minutes of cooking.It was the perfect amount of sauce for this dish (that is if you are using a deep dish rectangular pan (I used the aluminum disposable type. This would be too much sauce for a regular 9x13. The bechamel was okay, but I think I will try a cheese bechamel next time.I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't impressed with sauce either.Opa!
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