DONALD LINK'S EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

Donald Link's Eggplant Casserole image

Donald Link is a New Orleans restaurateur with a passion for the Cajun food of his youth and a restaurant, Cochon, devoted to its delicious execution. His eggplant casserole is warmed with the spicy North African sausage known as merguez. But it works extremely well with lamb sausage, too, or with fresh chorizo.

Provided by The New York Times

Categories dinner, weekday, sauces and gravies, main course

Time 55m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Olive oil, as needed
1 large (18 to 20 ounces) eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
Salt
freshly ground black pepper
9 ounces merguez sausage
12 ounces fontina cheese, grated
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Steps:

For the béchamel: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk until pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add milk, salt, white pepper and nutmeg, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened and smooth, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
For the casserole: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and thoroughly coat both sides with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Roast until fully cooked, 12 to 15 minutes, then remove from heat but do not turn off oven. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, sauté merguez until browned and fully cooked. Remove from heat and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
Oil an 8-by-11, 2-inch-deep baking dish. Spread one-third of béchamel in baking dish. Top with half the eggplant, then half the fontina and half the merguez. Coat with half of the remaining béchamel. Top with remaining eggplant, fontina and merguez. Spread with remaining béchamel and the Parmesan.
Bake until hot, bubbling and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to rest for a minute or two, then serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 668, UnsaturatedFat 22 grams, Carbohydrate 17 grams, Fat 52 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 34 grams, SaturatedFat 27 grams, Sodium 1269 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams, TransFat 0 grams