Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe is inspired by America's Test Kitchen, Cooking for Two.

I've never been a fan of eggplant, but holy moly, this stuff was GOOD.

Ingredients:

A half batch of Oliver's Marinara

1 eggplant, about 12 oz.

Four slices of fancy white bread, torn into rough pieces

3/4 cups Parmesan

salt and pepper

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make or heat up the sauce. Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices. Toss the bread into a food processor and pulse till fine crumbs are formed. Toss them into a pie pan and mix with 1/2 cup parmesan, salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs into a separate pie pan.

Put the flour into a large ziploc and add the eggplant slices. Toss them around in the bag till they are evenly coated with flour. Shake off remaining flour. In batches, coat the slices in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Set them on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch oven-proof pan over med-high heat. Add half of the eggplant slices and brown four minutes on each side, or till golden brown. Set them on the wire rack. After browning the second batch, turn off the heat, discard any excess oil in pan and wipe clean with paper towels. 

Coat the bottom of the pan with one cup of sauce. Place slices in the pan, overlapping one on top of the other from the outside to the inside. Top with another cup of sauce, but do not cover the outer edge of the slices so that these will stay crispy and un-soggy.

Top with remaining parmesan and sprinkle the mozzarella on top.

Place in the oven and bake for about 14 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes before serving.