Bulgarian Potato Moussaka

100 min · Easy · Serves 1

760 kcal per serving · 38g protein

This is the musaka every Bulgarian grew up on — cubes of potato and browned mince baked together, then finished with a whisked yogurt-and-egg topping that sets into a golden crust. No eggplant, no béchamel — that's the Greek one. Serve it with a spoon of cold yogurt or a simple tomato salad.

Ingredients

• 250 g Potatoes, cubed
• 60 g Ground beef
• 60 g Pork mince
• Onion, finely chopped × 1
• 1 tbsp Canned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Sunflower oil
• 0.5 tsp Paprika
• 0.5 tsp Chubritsa
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper
• 100 ml Water
• Egg, for the topping × 1
• 80 g Yogurt, for the topping
• 1 tsp All-purpose flour
• 1 pinch Baking soda

Method

1. Heat the oven

   

   Heat the oven to 180°C.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut

   

   Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes about the size of a dice.

3. Finely chop the onion

   

   Finely chop the onion.

4. Heat the oil

   

   Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

5. Fry the onion

   

   Fry the onion for 3 minutes until soft and see-through, then add both minces and cook for 5–6 minutes, breaking them up with the spoon, until browned with no pink left.

6. Stir in the paprika

   

   Stir in the paprika, chubritsa, canned tomatoes, salt and black pepper.

7. Bake the Base

   

   Mix the raw potato cubes with the meat in a small baking dish, pour in the water and level the top. Bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes — done when a knife slides into a potato cube with no resistance.

8. Whisk the Topping

   

   In a bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg, flour and a pinch of baking soda for a minute until smooth and pourable, like thin pancake batter.

9. Golden Crust

   

   Pour the topping evenly over the dish and bake for another 12–15 minutes, until the top is golden and set — it shouldn't wobble when you nudge the dish.

10. Rest & Serve

    

    Let it rest for 10 minutes — it firms up and won't burn your mouth. Serve with a spoon of cold yogurt.