Lentils with Sausage
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 28, 2013
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Sausages are a bistro favorite in France, and make for a hearty dinner when served with lentils. Puy lentils, sometimes called French green lentils, are our first choice for this recipe, but brown, black, or regular green lentils can be substituted; note that cooking times may vary depending on the type of lentils used. Lentils lose flavor with age, and because most packaged lentils do not have expiration dates, try to buy them from a store that specializes in natural foods and grains.
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, chard stems, garlic, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the lentils are tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the excess liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the sausage in the pan and cook until well browned on all sides, about 7 minutes. When browned, pour water over the sausages in the skillet, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until no longer pink in the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausages to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest.
- While the sausage rests, return the saucepan of lentils to medium-high heat and cook until hot, about 4 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the chard is wilted and incorporated, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. To serve, slice the sausages on the bias. Spoon a small pile of lentils in the center of 4 individual serving plates and rest sausage slices on top of the lentils.
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We began building flavor in our sausage and lentils recipe by sautéing onion, garlic, and thyme in some butter, then adding the lentils and chicken broth (which lent the dish fuller flavor than water), and simmering until the lentils were just tender. While the lentils cooked we seared the sausage in a hot nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with only a tablespoon of oil.
Before You Begin
Sausages are a bistro favorite in France, and make for a hearty dinner when served with lentils. Puy lentils, sometimes called French green lentils, are our first choice for this recipe, but brown, black, or regular green lentils can be substituted; note that cooking times may vary depending on the type of lentils used. Lentils lose flavor with age, and because most packaged lentils do not have expiration dates, try to buy them from a store that specializes in natural foods and grains.
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, chard stems, garlic, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the lentils are tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Uncover and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the excess liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the sausage in the pan and cook until well browned on all sides, about 7 minutes. When browned, pour water over the sausages in the skillet, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until no longer pink in the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausages to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest.
- While the sausage rests, return the saucepan of lentils to medium-high heat and cook until hot, about 4 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the chard is wilted and incorporated, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. To serve, slice the sausages on the bias. Spoon a small pile of lentils in the center of 4 individual serving plates and rest sausage slices on top of the lentils.
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