Layered Eggplant

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg ground meat 
• 6 eggplants, peeled, sliced
• 3 potatoes, peeled, half cooked, sliced
• 2 onions, chopped (1 onion for tomato sauce, 1 onion for meat sauce)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tomatoes
• 3-4 Tbs tomato paste
• oil 
• cherry tomatoes

Directions for the eggplants

1. Fill a large container with water. Add 1/4 C salt.
2. Slice eggplants, soak them in salted water for about 30 minutes. 
3. Drain eggplants, wash them with fresh water, drain  once more and dry well.
4. Line an oven tray with aluminium foil. Place eggplants on the foil. Brush them with oil.
5. Broil for about 5 minutes each side. Broil until lightly browned. Set aside.

Directions for meat sauce

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Cook onions. 
2. Add meat. Cook stirring with a wooden spoon to break up into small pieces . Cook until all liquid has evaporated.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Turn off heat. Set aside

Directions for tomato sauce

1. Cook onions and garlic in 1 Tbs oil until light brown.
2. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and about 1 C water.
3. Simmer until slightly thickened. Set aside

Directions for layered eggplant

1. Put a layer of thinly sliced and half cooked potatoes in an oiled large pan.
2. Top with a layer of eggplant slices. (1/3 of the  eggplant slices)
3. Cover the eggplant slices with half of the meat sauce.
4. Top with 1/3 of the tomato sauce.
5. Repeat layers: eggplant - meat - tomato sauce - eggplant - tomato sauce.
6. Arrange halves of cherry tomatoes on top.
7. Cover the pan with a baking sheet and an aluminium foil on top.
8. Bake in a 210 C preheated oven for about 45 minutes.
9. Take off  baking sheet and aluminium foil. Bake until top is medium brown.