Accidental dinners are usually a hit in our house – I’m not sure if it was the classic tomato and cheese combination or why it worked, but it really worked and was a perfect summer version of Moussaka!
I love a good summer recipe, I even have a ‘recipes for summer’ section in my write it yourself cook book that I intend to hand down to the kids, but this recipe I developed purely by accident! I think it is safe to say it has become a firm favourite in our house, so I guess it was just fate! There are never any leftovers and the first time I made this it was eyed with trepidation but quickly polished off! So, the reason I ended up with this very tasty dish is simply because I was making a Moussaka (with a bit of a twist) for the kids, I chopped up all of the vegetables and then suddenly realised that I didn’t have any aubergine (eggplant if you are reading in the US!), so I dutifully set off to the shop with the boys in tow to grab some and, naturally, they were out as was the other two super markets in town… how does that always happen?! So I grabbed some tomatoes and this is what I came up with. Give it a go, even if you hate moussaka I guarantee you will love it!
How to make Tomoussaka:
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons of oil
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 225g mince
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)
- 3 salad tomatoes sliced in 1 cm thick slices
- 1 large or 2 medium potatoes sliced in 1cm thick slices
- 150g of cheddar cheese, grated
- 150 g of crème fraîche
Pre heat the over to GM 6, 400F, 200C.
Fry the onion and the mince in the oil until cooked, and then set aside to cool. Stir in the pre cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (you can buy these if you are in a rush).
Par boil the sliced potatoes for approximately 8 mins, then remove and place in cool water to stop them cooking further.
Spread the mince mixture over the base of the of an ovenproof dish, then layer the uncooked tomatoes and part cooked potatoes over the top. Place in the over for 10 mins.
Mix the crème fraîche and most of the cheese together, leaving just enough to sprinkle over the top. Take the mince and tomatoes out of the oven and spread the cheese mixture over the top, sprinkling with the rest of the cheese, and return to the oven for 25-30 mins.
Bon appetite!
Harriet x
