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EGGPLANT AND POTATO BAKE

Fresh and Fast Vegan
by Amanda Grant
The eggplant's perfect, blemish-free purple skin never ceases to amaze me This vegetable always looks soft, glossy and perfect. The actual flavor of its flesh could be described as rather bland but, to me, that adds to its versatility. The soft flesh will absorb spices, chili peppers and garlic. And it can cope with strongly flavored ingredients such as chopped gherkin pickles, olives and fresh herbs. Serve this dish with fresh bread.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50-55 minutes
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for griddling and drizzling
• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. ripe plum tomatoes
• 1 large eggplant, cut into thick slices
 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Bring a pan of water to a boil, and add the potatoes. Bring back to a boil, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain, return the potatoes to the pan, and dry them out over low heat, shaking the pan gently. Add 2 tablespoons oil and the garlic, and season well with salt and pepper. Mash to a smooth puree.

Put the tomatoes in a bowl, and cover with boiling water. After 20 seconds in the boiling water, plunge them straight into cold water. Drain, skin and seed the tomatoes, then roughly chop their flesh.

Brush a griddle with a little olive oil, and heat until very hot. Put a few eggplant slices on the griddle, and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until golden and soft. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof serving dish. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices. If you don't have a griddle, put the slices in the ovenproof dish, and cook in the oven for 10 minutes on each side.

Spread the tomatoes over the eggplant, then spread the mashed potatoes over the tomatoes. Drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes, and scatter salt and pepper over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy and hot all the way through. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION

each serving contains: Calories 273 • Protein 6g • Fat 9g (saturated 1.5g) • Carbohydrates 43g • Fiber 5.5g • Calories from fat 30% • Excellent source of vitamin C • Good source of vitamin B, (thiamin) and folic acid