Eggplant Gratin with Ground Meat and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pcs Eggplants (peeled, sliced into rounds about 1 cm thick, then soaked for 15 min in salted water)
• 4 c. à soupe Olive oil (for the sauce and frying)
• 3 pcs Garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 pcs Onion (peeled and finely chopped)
• 2 c. à soupe Fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1 c. à soupe Fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 400 g Ground meat (beef or lamb) (thawed, crumbled)
• 400 g Canned tomato puree (no added salt)
• 1 c. à café Herbes de Provence (to flavor the sauce)
• 300 g Potatoes (frying type) (cut into 1.5 cm dice)
• 200 ml Heavy cream (at room temperature)
• 2 pcs Eggs (beaten)
• 50 g Grated Parmesan (finely grated)
• 50 g Grated Gruyère (finely grated)
• à goût Salt
• à goût Black pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare the meat sauce

   Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the sauté pan. Add the garlic, onion, parsley and cilantro, sauté until lightly golden. Add the ground meat, crumble and cook for 5‑6 min, stirring. Stir in the tomato puree, Herbes de Provence, season with salt and pepper, then simmer over medium heat for 10 min. Add the Provençal parsley at the end of cooking.

   Time: PT15M

   Temperature: medium

2. Prepare the vegetables

   Peel the eggplants, cut into rounds about 1 cm thick. Place them in a large bowl of salted water and let drain for 15 min, then drain and pat dry on paper towels. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1.5 cm dice.

   Time: PT15M

3. Fry the potato dice

   Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the frying pan. Add the potato dice and fry until golden, 8‑10 min, stirring regularly. Drain on paper towels.

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: medium-high

4. Fry the eggplant rounds

   In the same pan, add a drizzle of oil if needed. Fry the eggplant rounds 5 min per side until golden and slightly crisp. Drain on paper towels.

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: medium-high

5. Prepare the cream mixture

   In a bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the eggs, Parmesan, Gruyère, salt and pepper until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

   Time: PT5M

6. Assemble the gratin

   In the gratin dish, lay a first layer of eggplant rounds, cover with the meat sauce, add the potato dice, repeat the operation (eggplant → sauce → potatoes) and finish with the cream mixture. Smooth the surface with a spatula.

   Time: PT5M

7. Bake

   Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the gratin for 35 min, or until the top is nicely golden and the centre is set.

   Time: PT35M

   Temperature: 180°C

Nutrition Facts

Calories

350

Protein

20 g

Carbohydrates

30 g

Fat

18 g

Fiber

5 g