This is a recipe that I’ve made countless times for my clients as a private chef.
This is everything I love in a dish: rich, baked & comforting. With lots of bechamel.
A deep, tomatoey lamb ragu, layered with roasted aubergine slices, par-cooked potato, all topped with plenty of thick, luscious bechamel with a healthy grating of nutmeg for added comfort value, and baked until bubbling and gorgeous.
FULL RECIPE
Ingredients:
For the lamb ragu mixture:
2 white onions - finely diced
1 carrot - finely diced
2 celery sticks - finely diced
3 cloves garlic - minced
800g lamb mince - the best quality you can get your hands on
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
3 tsp dried oregano
200ml red wine
800g tinned tomatoes (2 tins)
2 bay leaves
Other layers:
4 large baking potatoes - cut into 1/2cm slices
3 aubergines - sliced thingly lengthways
For the bechamel
50g butter
50g plain flour
800ml whole milk
1/2 nutmeg grated
100g cheddar cheese (optional)
Method:
Start by arranging the aubergine slices onto a baking tray and roasting in the oven at 200C for 15-20 mins (keep an eye on them!)
Bring a pan of salted boiling water up and boil the potato slices for 5 minutes until softened around the edges but not completely cooked through.
In a large pan, start making the lamb ragu. Bring the pan up to a searing high heat and fry the lamb mince in batches so not to overcrowd the pan. Make sure you get a nice caramelisation on the mince and don’t stir too often.
Spoon into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, sweat the onion, carrot and celery in 2 tbsp of olive oil on a low-medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring often to make sure it doesn’t catch/burn. Add the garlic for 2 minutes followed by the tomato puree and spices for a further couple of minutes. Pour in the wine and let that reduce by half before adding the tinned tomatoes and bay leaves. Let that simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, get on with making the white sauce (bechamel). In a deep saucepan, melt the butter until foaming then add the flour. Mix together to combine well to a wet sand consistency. Cook this while stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat then start adding the milk in small instalments, combining well before adding the next one. It will thicken up at first and start to loosen as you add more instalments. Once the milk is added, put the pan back on the heat and bring to a boil for 2 minutes as it thickens. Add the cheese, a pinch of salt and grate in the nutmeg. Cover with a piece of clingfilm to stop a skin forming while you organise everything else.
In a 30x20cm baking dish, spoon a layer of the lamb ragu followed by a layer of the aubergine slices and a layer of potato slices. Repeat this until you’ve used everything up, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Pour over the bechamel sauce and use a spatula to even out on the top.
Bake at 180C for 40-45 minutes until golden and bubbling. Leave to set for a further 20-30 minutes, slice & serve. Enjoy!