Potato Crusted Eggplant

I like buying eggplant to use for dinners because it is often very inexpensive (at least where I live) and goes on sale a lot. But I find making eggplant parmesan all the time boring...which is how I found the recipe for my eggplant patties.

In my quest to find eggplant recipes that are different from eggplant parm or eating it steamed or plain or whatnot, I came across a recipe called Tater-Dipped Eggplant. It seemed different...and interesting...and not like my usual eggplant patties so I decided to give it a go.

My husband and I really, really, really enjoyed it!

I did futz with the recipe to make it more "my own" but the basic principle was still there. The whole process probably took about 45 minutes - most of the beginning time was spent trying to peel the eggplant - something I had never done and had a lot of trouble with!!

Ingredients I used:
1/2 cup margarine (or butter)
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch slices
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
oregano
crushed red pepper flakes


Steps:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Slice eggplant.

In a small bowl beat egg and pour in the milk...whisk until smooth. Add in salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika - mix well until all ingredients are incorporated into the egg.

Dip slices of eggplant into egg mixture and then dip into potato flakes to coat. Lay eggplant slices on baking sheet for cooking.


While you are dipping and coating the eggplant (or just after), melt butter in small saucepan on stove on low heat. When melted down, pour a drop onto each slice of eggplant on the baking sheet.


** This step is optional. For a little more taste and zing, I sprinkled a small amount of oregano and crushed red pepper flakes on top of each eggplant slice. We like a lot of taste in this house but for people who prefer plainer foods, leave this out...or add a seasoning you like!!

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown, turning over once after 10 minutes.


We ended up eating this as a side to some leftovers we brought home from an Italian restaurant, but it would make a great side to spaghetti as well. Or anything else you want some soft yet crispy eggplant as a side to.

To us, it wasn't really substantial enough to have as a meal alone, unless we each ate like, half of what I made!! So we preferred to use it as a side, but there are endless possibilities.

Enjoy!