Ingredients: Potatoes (thinly sliced) - several large Olive oil for deep frying Eggplant (thinly sliced) - 1 or 2 large Flour 1-2 lbs. Ground beef 1 large Onion (diced) 1-2 cloves Garlic (chopped) Bay leaves 2-3 Cinnamon sticks (cut into smaller pieces) arsley (chopped) 1 Tomato (diced) 1-2 lbs. Ricotta cheese Béchamel Sauce: 1/2 cup Butter 2 tbsp. Flour (or corn starch) 2 cups Milk 1 Egg yolk Salt (to taste)

Methods:

1. Deep-fry potatoes in olive oil.
2. Dip eggplant slices in flour and deep-fry in oil.
3. In a large pot, fry ground beef, onion, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, parsley and tomatoes, 10-15 min.

Béchamel Sauce:

1. On low heat, melt butter; add flour and mix well; stir constantly and allow mixture to brown slightly.
2. Add milk; stir constantly and continue to heat until thick.
3. Add egg yolk and salt; blend well.

To build:

In a large rectangular baking dish, layer fried potatoes, then eggplant, then beef mixture, then béchamel sauce (creating 4 separate layers that cover the whole pan); finish with layer of Ricotta cheese. Bake 15 minutes just until cheese is melted and golden brown (375°F)