Peel eggplants and slice lengthwise in about ½ to 1” thickness. Place on a sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt lightly and let sit for about 15 minutes, then pat dry, turn over and repeat. Once both sides have been steeped, dry very well, melt about 1/2 stick of butter in sauté pan. Brown all eggplant little at a time and drain on paper towels, set aside. Add butter as needed, the eggplant will soak up the butter quickly, don’t be afraid of the heat, just watch closely as to not burn the eggplant.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in the same skillet and cook onions until they start getting soft. Add the ground meat and cook until all the pink is gone. Combine in a separate bowl the tomato paste, parsley, cinnamon, salt, pepper and wine until smooth. Once meat is done, add the wine mixture and simmer on low heat until liquid is gone. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Warm the milk until hot but not boiling. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in pot and add the flour, stirring and cooking for approximately 1-2 minutes, do not overcook, you want it to have a slight golden color but not brown. Gradually add the hot milk, constantly stirring and ensuring that there are no lumps before adding more milk. Once all the milk has been incorporated, remove from heat and allow to cool for approximately 2 minutes, then add the beaten eggs, ricotta and nutmeg. Blend until mixture is smooth and looks like sour cream.

Grease an 11” x 16” ovenproof casserole dish and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs, then make one layer only of the sliced potato (this adds in absorbing the excess grease). Make alternating layers of eggplant, meat mixture, shredded parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs (this will make approximately 2 complete layers). When you have layered the ingredients, top with the ricotta cheese mixture and bake for 1 hour or until the top is evenly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit and cool for 5-10 minutes, slice and serve immediately.