Shepherd’s Pie, Greek-Style!

Step 1

Render the beef. Coat a large pan with olive oil and heat over medium. Add the garlic and swirl until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the beef and use a wooden spoon to break it up and brown it. Cook the meat until the juices have evaporated and the oil surfaces, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Season the meat. Add the salt, pepper, paprika, ground cinnamon, and ground clove. Cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato paste and cook for 3 more minutes.

Step 3

Finish and simmer. Add the tomato puree, wine, water, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, bay leaves, and sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat for 35–40 minutes, ensuring the juices are mostly evaporated. If there's too much liquid, keep cooking until it's evaporated. Set the sauce aside to cool.

Step 4

Heat the oil. Coat a nonstick frying pan in a thin layer of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium.

Step 5

Brown and crisp the eggplant (in two batches if your pan is small). When the oil is shimmering, add the eggplants, sprinkle with the rosemary and season with a good pinch of salt. Drizzle a couple more tablespoons of olive oil over the eggplants. Cook for a few minutes on both sides until the eggplants are soft and golden. They will shrink in size. Add more oil if they start to dry out.

Step 6

Drain. Transfer the fried eggplant pieces to paper towels and aside.

Step 7

Boil the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Season generously with salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to let the potatoes simmer until they’re soft when pierced with a fork, about 35 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them, as they will become mushy.

Step 8

Mash the potatoes. Drain and add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic and use a potato masher to mash while the potatoes are still hot.

Step 9

Flavor the potatoes. Add the olive oil and half of the milk. Continue mashing until well combined, then gradually add more milk until the mashed potatoes reach a creamy, lump-free consistency. Be sure to add the milk slowly to control the texture and adjust as needed. Mix in the 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and set aside.

Step 10

Get ready. Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Step 11

Layer. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the meat sauce. In an 9X11-inch baking dish, spread half of the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Then layer half of the eggplant over the meat and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese on top. Repeat this process with the remaining meat sauce, eggplants, and 2 tablespoons parmesan.

Step 12

Top. Spread the potato mash over the top. Finally, crumble on the feta cheese and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

Step 13

Bake, then broil. Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes, or until the top turns golden. Place the pie under a hot broiler added golden color. Mine takes about 10 minutes, but broiler temperatures very greatly. Keep a close eye to avoid burning!

Step 14

Serve. Use a spatula to divide and serve hot.