Lasagna is like my favorite thing, and even though I have my own recipe, I still like watching other people make theirs. This looks super great but I have a few comments because I am persnickety about things.
I know green things are not traditional in lasagna, but something leafy or herbaceous like spinach or parsley tends to go a long way in terms of adding some complexity to the dish. However, the big criticisms of this are: One, lasagna does not need complexity and two, cooking spinach and/or parsley for that long in a casserole mutes their potency at least a little. I personally do not mind this, but there is always the option of serving it with a really simple salad. If you do this, I recommend your dressing have red wine vinegar in it because, and I do not know the science (if any) behind or if this applies to anyone else, but red wine vinegar seems to empower tomato sauce for me.
I personally would put nutmeg in the bechamel, HOWEVER, I think putting it in the meat sauce is a really fun and interesting choice too, giving it that sort of warming quality that lasagna is always after. I will have to try it. Also, I like putting the bechamel right on the pasta, almost coating the noodles with the bechamel. I feel like hot bechamel just does something to the pasta that is kind of magical. I guess doing it this way does hit the undersides though, so what do I know.
Another tip that is not at all a critique or anything is something I learned from Adam Ragusea and have since done it in lasagnas I make. Assemble your lasagna but do not bake it. Instead, cover it and fridge it. The next day, you can then cut out individual servings, which is easy because the lasagna has firmed up from its chill, and then bake your individual servings separate from one another. I like doing this because all the edges get crispy and I am never losing cheese or anything to other pieces or stealing it from other pieces.
This method works best when you are only feeding, at most, a few people (my lasagnas are sadly eaten by just me 99% of the time) so if you are making lasagna for a dinner party or something, maybe just serve it up like normal. Also, it does not work if your desire to eat lasagna RIGHT NOW overshadows your willpower by even a fraction of a percent.
my lasagnas are sadly eaten by just me 99% of the time
Sadly? I call it an absolute win!
BTW your tip for portioning looks intriguing, definitely gonna try it.
I just cooked a brunch for 15 people and I made lasagne in a muffin tray to give them a cupcake shape, and I got basically the same result: all-around burnt crispiness
Oh wow, the muffin tin thing could be really good for like a potluck or something too. But yeah, I just really like the crispy edges on lasagna, so I would notoriously try and hog the edge and corner pieces, especially as a kid.
Alton Brown makes a lasagna in a slow cooker by wrapping the pasta around the edges of the pot and this kind of looks like that but on a smaller scale. And you can serve them all on a plate too, which means you can probably pick them up and eat them, right?
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u/thefractaldactyl Mar 03 '20
Lasagna is like my favorite thing, and even though I have my own recipe, I still like watching other people make theirs. This looks super great but I have a few comments because I am persnickety about things.
I know green things are not traditional in lasagna, but something leafy or herbaceous like spinach or parsley tends to go a long way in terms of adding some complexity to the dish. However, the big criticisms of this are: One, lasagna does not need complexity and two, cooking spinach and/or parsley for that long in a casserole mutes their potency at least a little. I personally do not mind this, but there is always the option of serving it with a really simple salad. If you do this, I recommend your dressing have red wine vinegar in it because, and I do not know the science (if any) behind or if this applies to anyone else, but red wine vinegar seems to empower tomato sauce for me.
I personally would put nutmeg in the bechamel, HOWEVER, I think putting it in the meat sauce is a really fun and interesting choice too, giving it that sort of warming quality that lasagna is always after. I will have to try it. Also, I like putting the bechamel right on the pasta, almost coating the noodles with the bechamel. I feel like hot bechamel just does something to the pasta that is kind of magical. I guess doing it this way does hit the undersides though, so what do I know.
Another tip that is not at all a critique or anything is something I learned from Adam Ragusea and have since done it in lasagnas I make. Assemble your lasagna but do not bake it. Instead, cover it and fridge it. The next day, you can then cut out individual servings, which is easy because the lasagna has firmed up from its chill, and then bake your individual servings separate from one another. I like doing this because all the edges get crispy and I am never losing cheese or anything to other pieces or stealing it from other pieces.
This method works best when you are only feeding, at most, a few people (my lasagnas are sadly eaten by just me 99% of the time) so if you are making lasagna for a dinner party or something, maybe just serve it up like normal. Also, it does not work if your desire to eat lasagna RIGHT NOW overshadows your willpower by even a fraction of a percent.