Moussaka à la Grecque

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200℃ with a fan;
2. Grease a 25 x 30 cm pan with olive oil;
3. Slice thinly (4-5 mm slices) the potatoes and half of the onion, drizzle them with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and mix with your hands;
4. Spread them evenly on the bottom of the pan and bake them for 20 minutes, until they are slightly soft and golden;
5. Slice thinly (4-5 mm slices) the eggplant, drizzle them with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and mix with your hands;
6. Spread the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes and add a little olive oil if they look any dry;
7. Bake for another 20 minutes;
8. Slice thinly (4-5 mm slices) the zucchini, drizzle them with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and mix with your hands;
9. Spread the zucchini on top of the eggplant and bake for another 20 minutes;
10. In a large pan over high heat, caramelize the remaining onion with olive oil and add crushed garlic;
11. Add cinnamon and ground cloves to the onion and stir;
12. Add the tomato puree, minced meat, salt and pepper and stir until everything is crumbly;
13. Add a can of tomatoes and stir until all the liquid has evaporated (5-10 minutes). Set aside;
14. In a medium pan over moderate heat, melt the butter, add the flour and start whisking, gradually adding the milk in small patches;
15. When the Béchamel sauce becomes fluffy, smooth and starts to bubble, remove it from the heat, add pepper, nutmeg and 200 g of grated parmesan. Stir until the cheese melts and finally mix with 3 egg yolks until even;
16. Mix ⅓ of the Béchamel sauce well with the minced meat and spread it evenly over the vegetables;
17. Pour the rest of the sauce on top and spread evenly with a spatula;
18. Sprinkle with more grated parmesan and bake until golden brown (25-30 minutes);
19. Let the moussaka cool and set for at least 1 hour before cutting.