You can prepare the meat in advance. Caramelize the onion in olive oil for about 10 min. Add the beef mince and bay leaf, cook through stirring regularly for another 15-20 minutes. Season well with salt, pepper, red paprika and oregano to taste. Keep the meat filling in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 24 hours.

Slice the eggplants lenghtwise, 5mm thick. Salt on  both sides and leave  to rest, 30-60 minutes. Squeeze out the water they released and pat  dry using a kitchen towel, then fry in batches in olive oil. Once the eggplant slices are fried, lay them on more  kitchen towel in order to get rid of the excess oil.

If using zucchini, slice them lengthwise as well, salt and let them rest for 15 min. Squeeze out the water they released, pat dry and dust both sides of each slice with flour.

Slice the potatoes very thinly, about 1-2 mm thick, using a mandoline if you have one or a sharp knife. Soak the potatoes in cold water up to 30 minutes.  

Beat the eggs milk and culinary cream to combine, season with salt and pepper. (You can taste the mixture, to check if it's seasoned enough)

Preheat the oven at 190°C.  

Pre-grease the baking dish and start layering the musaka. Cover the bottom of the dish with 1-2 layers of potatoes (about 1/4 of the total amount). Layer eggplants and/or zucchini over the potatoes, followed up by 1/3 of the meat filling. Repeat 3 times, leaving enough potatoes for the last layer. You should have 4 layers of potato in total, with 3 layers of meat and 3 layers of vegetables. Press well using the palms of your hands to make sure the musk stays as compact as possible. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until all the layers are throughly warmed up.

Pour the egg and cream mixture patiently over the musaka. Don't rush it, it takes some time for the mixture to find its way through and in between the layers, otherwise your mixture will flow over your baking dish onto the counter. 

Bake for about 1 hour until golden and cooked through. You can let the musaka rest for a bit to make cutting into it easier, but do serve hot. Musaka is a hearty comforting dish, screaming for some acid on the side to cut through the fats and some crunch for the contrasting texture. It pairs perfectly with a quick pickled white cabbage salad. 

To make the salad, shred the cabbage, add some salt and leave to rest for at least half an hour. Massage the cabbage with your hands, squeezing out the excess water and discarding it. Add a generous crack of black pepper, white or red wine vinegar and just a bit of unrefined sunflower oil. It is very important to add the vinegar first and oil at last, as the vingear pickles the cabbage. If you add the oil first it creates a protective layer, so the vinegar can't get to the cabbage and the end result is not the same.

Prijatno!