Red Deer Moussaka

Ingredients (Mince and Veg Layers)

  • 2 lbs Ground venison meat (using any trim i.e. neck or shoulder of red deer).
  • 1 lb Fatty Boar or Pork Mince.
  • 2 x Aubergine.
  • Salt.
  • Oil.
  • 4 x Potatoes
  • 6 cloves Garlic
  • 2 x Onions
  • Handful of fresh Oregano
  • Cup Olive oil
  • 4 x Bay Leaves
  •  Nut meg
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 1/3 bottle red wine (robust)
  • 1 pint of Beef Stock
  • 1 tin Italian Pulp Tomatoes

Step 1 Method: (Aubergine and Mince)

  1. Cut Aubergine evenly into slices, laying them out evenly onto a tray and add salt (this draws out the moisture).
  2. Lay the Aubergine slices on to a heat proof tray and generously coat them in olive oil, then cook in the Traeger @ 400F° for 20 mins
  3. Heat a frying pan with olive oil and add your venison mince, Allowing the mince to stick and brown before turning over.
  4. Once reverse side is browned, remove the venison from the pan and repeat the browning process for the Boar Mince (Cook, Sweat Down, Brown).
  5. Wash Potatoes with the skin on well and slice up evenly.
  6. Put potato slices into a pan with water, then tenderise on a heated hob.
  7. Add venison and boar mince together in a pan over the stove and mince (mix) together.
  8. Chop onions, garlic and oregano then cook in a large pan with olive oil.
  9. Add the mince to the large pan and add seasoning, lemon zest, bay leaves, grated nutmeg and tomato puree.
  10. Add 3 swirls of the pan with robust red wine (roughly 1/3) to the mince stir in, then add beef stock and a tin of Italian pulp tomatoes and simmer down for 20 minutes.
  11. Simmer potatoes for 10 mins

Ingredients (Bechamel)

  • 150g Butter
  • 150g Flour
  • 2 pints Milk
  • 2 x Bay leaves
  • To season  – Black pepper
  • Teaspoon of Dry oregano
  • 1 x Lemon zest
  • Half Tbsp Salt
  • 2 x handfuls of Parmesan
  • 1 Egg

Step 2 Method: Bechamel

  1. Begin by melting the butter, then begin adding flour to form a paste.
  2. Gradually add warm milk until the paste suddenly loosens up to the same consistency as milk (IMPORNTANT not to be impatient).
  3. Once loosened, add seasoning of a few bay leaves, black pepper, dry oregano, lemon zest and salt.
  4. Then grate parmesan and mix in a egg through (this creates the crust when cooked).

Step 3 Method: Construction of the Layers and Cooking.

  1. Take the Aubergine slices out of the Traeger.
  2. First put all the mince into an oven bake dish.
  3. Overlapping a layer of potato slices covering the mince.
  4. Doing the same with an overlapping layer of aubergine slices on top of the potatoes.
  5. Season the aubergine layer, then place a sheet of tin foil over the top and press down with your body weight to compact the layers together.
  6. After removing the foil, evenly cover the bechamel over the compacted layers.
  7. Finally grating some extra parmesan (for that extra cheesiness) before placing the oven dish into the Traeger or oven for cooking Temp 200c /430 f  for 30 mins