Heat olive oil in a pan, add the garlic, and cook for a minute.
Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper, bay leaves, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon stick and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
Pour in the balsamic vinegar, red wine, salt, pepper, and nutmeg powder and mix well. Add the water, cover, and slow cook for 15 minutes.
Mix cornflour with a few spoons of cold water and add to the stew. Mix and cook for 5 minutes till it thickens.
As your stew cooks away, slice the potatoes as evenly as you possibly can. Microwave on high or par-boil the sliced potatoes for about 4 minutes so that they are slightly soft. Drain the water and pat them dry.
Add the 2 tbsp cornflour, oregano, and salt and mix well with the potatoes. Add 1/4 cup cheese to this mix and toss well.
Remove the bay leaves and whole spices from the stew, and transfer it to a baking dish. Arrange the potatoes overlapping as in the below video. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 220 degrees in a pre-heated oven with both rods on for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil carefully and turn it to only the upper heating rod and cook it for another 20 minutes. Let it cool down for 5 minutes before serving.
