Tepsi Baytinijan

Iraqi food is nearly invisible in the US despite being one of the oldest cuisines on earth, and tepsi baytinijan is the dish Iraqi families describe as their everyday, everyone-loves-it dinner. It fits our weeknight rules once frying is replaced with roasting: the eggplant and potato go on sheet pans while the meatballs brown, then everything is assembled in one dish and baked while the rice cooks. There is no chile in it, so my son's plate will be the same as ours, and a meatball-and-potato bake is about as approachable as a new cuisine gets. What I expect to learn is how a casserole of plain vegetables gets its depth: browning each layer first, and a sour note in the sauce to cut the richness.

• Eggplant: Two medium globe eggplants, sliced, salted for 15 minutes, then roasted at high heat with oil until browned and collapsed. This stands in for the traditional frying and gives nearly the same silky result.
• Baharat: The Iraqi version of the warm Middle Eastern blend, with black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander and sometimes dried rose petals. Substitute 1 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Pomegranate molasses: A tablespoon in the sauce gives the sour-sweet edge that keeps a tomato bake from tasting flat. Found with Middle Eastern ingredients or online; lemon juice is a fair substitute.
• Ground beef: 85% lean, mixed with grated onion, garlic, parsley and baharat, with no breadcrumb filler, so the bake stays gluten-free.

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Slice the eggplants into 1/2-inch rounds, salt both sides and set on paper towels for 15 minutes. Peel the potatoes and slice 1/4 inch thick.
2. Pat the eggplant dry. Brush the eggplant and potato with 3 tablespoons olive oil, spread on two sheet pans, and roast 20 minutes, flipping once, until the eggplant is browned and soft and the potatoes golden at the edges.
3. Meanwhile make the meatballs: grate half an onion and squeeze out the liquid. Mix with the beef, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons baharat, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Roll into 12 meatballs about 1 1/2 inches across.
4. Slice the remaining onions and the tomatoes into 1/4-inch rounds. Peel the remaining 6 garlic cloves.
5. Stir together the tomato sauce, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, remaining baharat, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup water.
6. Start the rice: rinse and cook with 2 1/4 cups water and a pinch of salt, timed to finish with the bake.

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs 2 minutes per side; they need not cook through. Lower the oven to 400°F when the vegetables come out.
2. Spread a thin film of sauce in the baking dish. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer across the bottom.
3. Set the meatballs over the potatoes, spaced evenly, with the whole garlic cloves tucked between them.
4. Layer the eggplant over and around the meatballs, then the onion rounds, then the tomato slices shingled across the top.
5. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over everything; it should come about two-thirds of the way up. Cover tightly with foil.
6. Bake 25 minutes covered, then uncover and bake 10 minutes more until the tomatoes are browned at the edges and the sauce is bubbling. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Bring the whole dish to the table and cut it into squares so each person gets meatballs, a potato base and a cap of eggplant and tomato, served over rice with the sauce poured over. Scatter the remaining parsley on top. Nothing here is hot, so my son's plate is ours in miniature; if he picks around the eggplant, the meatballs and potatoes carry it. Iraqi families also eat tepsi with flatbread and a bowl of plain yogurt, both worth adding. Leftovers keep three days and reheat well in a 350°F oven, covered, for 15 minutes; many think the second day is better.