I had moussaka for the first time the other day. For those of you unfamiliar, moussaka is a Greek dish consisting of layers of eggplant, meat and thinly-sliced potatoes, topped with a thick layer of bechamel sauce. The flavors in the meat layer were incredible, and included some typical Italian seasonings but also cinnamon, nutmeg and red wine. Combined with a layer of tender eggplant and near-chewy potatoes, I was entranced. Despite loving the dish, I had no love for the bechamel sauce. It had hardly any flavor and a strange texture (however, I tend to despise things like custards and mayo). Regardless, I was determined to find a good recipe and alter it to my tastes. I found a decent-looking recipe here but I still needed something to replace the bechamel sauce. That’s when it hit me – since I had been meaning to make Shepherd’s Pie for a while, why not combine the two? Instead of a thin layer of potato on the bottom, I put a mashed layer on top. And not just normal potatoes, my new favorite – Korean yams!

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