Make The Ground Meat Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a medium-sized cooking pot or saute pan.

Saute onion over moderate heat.

Add the ground meat, season with salt and pepper, and break it apart with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes until no lumps remain.

Stir in the ground cloves, allspice, tomato paste, and cinnamon stick. Cook for a minute.

Add the diced tomatoes, cook, and stir for a minute more.

Pour the tomato sauce and 1½ cups (375 ml) hot water.

Add the bay leaf, partly cover, and simmer over moderate heat until sauce thickens.

Remove from the heat and stir in the ground breadcrumbs. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

Prepare The Vegetable Layers:

Slice the eggplants lengthwise ½cm (¼-inch) thick. Add them to a bowl with cold water to soak for a few minutes with a plate on top to weigh them down and submerge them underwater.

Slice the zucchini the same way you did the eggplants. Season with salt and pepper.

Peel and cut the potatoes into slices about ⅔ cm (½-inch) thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat plenty of vegetable or frying oil in a saute pan (it should cover the pan by at least ⅓) or use a deep fryer.

Deep-fry the potatoes until golden and softened. Transfer them to paper towels to drain excess oil.

Deep-fry the zucchini until lightly colored. (Meanwhile, drain eggplant slices in a strainer and season them with salt and pepper.) Lay the fried zucchini on paper towels.

Deep-fry the eggplants until golden in color then transfer to paper towels as well.

Make The Bechamel Cream:

Melt butter in a small cooking pot over moderate heat.

Add the flour and stir with a whisk. Cook for a minute or two (stirring constantly) until it looks golden and starts to smell nutty.

Pour in the milk and stir to combine.

Add the nutmeg. Cook the cream until it thickens. It won't get too thick, it will be slightly thicker than the consistency of custard. Make sure to stir often with the whisk and pay extra attention to the walls of the pot. Take the cream off the heat and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Stir in the eggs and both types of cheese.

Put Together:

Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F.

Lay the potato slices in a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13-inch) pan or use a baking dish of about the same size. It should be at least 5 cm (2 inches tall). Press the potatoes lightly with your hands to make them stick together a bit.

Layer the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes.

Add the zucchini slices on top in the same fashion.

Spread the ground meat sauce on top and then top with the bechamel cream.

Bake. Sprinkle some extra grated hard cheese on top and place the pan in the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cream has set and looks golden on top with brown spots all over its surface.

Allow to set for at least 30 minutes. Ideally for an hour or longer. The cream will become firmer as it cools.

Cut into 8 pieces, serve, and enjoy!