Recipe: This Greek Eggplant and Potato Bake Brings the Aegean to Your Table

This dish tastes like a summer holiday on the Aegean Sea. Greek chef and author Carolina Doriti’s layered eggplant and potato bake hails from the island of Syros. Inspired by the rustic original – a simple stack of eggplant, potato, tomato and cheese – Doriti elevates it with feta and a silky bechamel for a richer, moussaka-style bake that’s deeply comforting and perfect for sharing.

“I find that the bechamel binds everything together nicely and makes it a more satisfying meal,” Doriti writes in The Greek Islands Cookbook. “I love mixing in some feta, which adds flavour. The vegetables can be grilled, pan-fried or even air-fried. You can also add more vegetables to the layers, such as red bell peppers or courgettes (zucchini).”

Layered eggplant and potato bake by Carolina Doriti

Serves 6
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Vegetables
1kg eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1cm slices
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1cm slices
Olive oil, for frying or roasting
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tomato sauce
1kg ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
60ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
1 bay leaf
50ml sweet red wine, such as Mavrodaphne
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 small cinnamon stick
Pinch of ground cloves
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bechamel
1 litre milk
100ml olive oil
100g plain (all-purpose) flour
100g feta, crumbled
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For assembling
85g St Michali cheese from Syros, or parmesan, grated
80g feta, crumbled

Method

Soak the eggplant slices in salted lukewarm water for 15–30 minutes, while you prepare the sauce.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. If using larger ripe tomatoes, grate them using the large holes of a box grater, discarding the skins. If using cherry tomatoes, put them in a blender and blitz until smooth.

Place a large, deep pan over a medium-high heat. Add 3 tbsp of the olive oil, then add the onion and saute with a pinch of salt. Once soft, add in the garlic, tomato paste and bay leaf, then stir to mix everything together. Pour in the wine and let the alcohol evaporate for 1 minute. Add in the tomatoes, thyme, cinnamon stick and ground cloves. Lower the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes depending on how juicy the tomatoes are. Remove and discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and thyme, then mix in the remaining olive oil and the chopped parsley. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Continue to gently simmer over a very low heat for a further 5 minutes, then set aside.

Drain the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels. Pat the potatoes dry too.

If frying the vegetables, place a frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat and pour in enough olive oil to cover the base. Working in batches, fry the eggplant and potatoes, turning them frequently, until golden on all sides – they don’t need to be cooked all the way through. Place the cooked eggplant and potatoes on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Season with salt and pepper.

If roasting the vegetables, preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Line three large baking trays with parchment paper. Arrange the eggplant and potatoes on the trays in a single layer, ideally separating each type on different trays. Brush them with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the top racks of the oven and the eggplant on the bottom racks and roast for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and golden. Turn them over and roast for a further 5–10 minutes or until golden, switching racks if necessary. Remove the trays from the oven and season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel sauce. Heat the milk in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Place another large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once warm, add the flour and whisk continuously to form a pale paste (roux). Whisking continuously, gradually add the warm milk to the paste until the mixture thickens to a medium consistency. Once ready, remove the pan from heat, stir in the feta and season with the ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.

To assemble the bake, cover the base of a large, deep baking dish (I use one that is 30 × 23 × 7cm) with about 3 tbsp of the tomato sauce. Scatter over 2 tbsp of the grated cheese and add a layer of the potatoes. Spoon 2 tbsp of the tomato sauce over the potatoes, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the grated cheese, then add a layer of the eggplant on top. Spoon 3–4 tbsp of the tomato sauce on top, then crumble over the feta. Season with pepper. Drizzle over 4–5 tbsp of the bechamel sauce.

Repeat these layers once more with the remaining potatoes and eggplant. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the final layer of eggplant, then spread the last of the bechamel sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.

Bake in the hot oven for 50 minutes or until a golden crust has formed on top of the bake. When ready, remove the dish from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

This is an extract from The Greek Islands Cookbook by Carolina Doriti, photography by Manos Chatzikonstantis. Published by Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.

Want more free recipes? Sign up to our Cooking newsletter for weekly dishes from top Aussie and international chefs – from quick dinners to weekend projects.