Variation on a Theme: Lentil and Potato Bake

Anyone who follows my recipes will know I am a bit of a bake fanatic. So comforting and yummy and I usually incorporate my favourite béchamel sauce in it somewhere. This recipe got more elaborate the more I got involved, it's sort of a bastardised shepherd's pie. I didn't have any mince so went for brown lentils instead and dreaded the idea of mashing potatoes with a fork so decided on potato slices instead, then I decided to make it moussaka-like with my béchamel.

Like my other bakes I made more than enough for two otherwise it is a bit of hassle for less reward. Freeze the rest.

• 250 grams of dry lentils – brown or green
  


• 3 – 4 large potatoes
  


• 2 carrots
  


• 1 medium sized onion sliced
  


• 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
  


• 1 garlic clove
  


• 1 glasss of dry white wine
  


• Dried oregano
  


• Worcestershire sauce
  


• Salt and pepper
  


• Bechamel sauce
  

Cook you lentils until soft, about 45 minutes to 1 hour

Parboil large potatoes halved, for about 10-15 minutes and then drain and leave to cool.

Fry the onion and carrots then add garlic and the tomatoes

Add your cooked lentils and a glass of dry white wine, reduce the wine

Add a tablespoon of tomato puree and half a mug of vegetable stock

Add some dried oregano and salt and pepper and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, simmer until thick

Make your béchamel, go here for the recipe.

Spread the lentils onto a baking tin, add half the béchamel then the potato slices. Add the rest of the béchamel, some sprigs of time and some salt and pepper

Cover and bake at 200°c for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender all the way through, then remove the foil and crisp up under a hot grill

Serve with a green salad

*If you don't want to bother with béchamel you could use cream instead

* If you pan is wide and shallow there will be one layer each of lentils and potato, but if you have a deeper tin you might need a more lasagna-like layered effect. If this is the case you might need to bake it a bit longer

Lunch Idea

Making lunch isn't easy these days, sandwiches are not cheap to make. Nice bread costs a lot more as does cheese, ham etc. cooking is often easier, hence this concoction which was really tasty. I don't have a very catchy name for it, but it took just a few minutes to make as I had cooked the lentils the day before. The lentils I used are green, they cook quite quickly I did soak them in water for about 30 minutes first but doubt I really needed to. After cooking 250g of lentils in unsalted water for about 20 – 30 minutes, drain and return to the saucepan. While still hot add salt, a good slug of olive oil, the juice of a lemon and small slivers of garlic. Replace the lid on the saucepan and leave to steep for a couple of hours.

The lentils can then be used in salads, added to other dishes or used for the recipe below.

• Sausage with lentils and cabbage for 1.
  


• 1 dessertspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil
  


• 1 sausage
  


• 1 handful of shredded cabbage
  


• About 50 grams of cooked lentils.
  

Remove the skins from the sausages.

Heat the oil in a wide bottomed saucepan and add the sausage meat, break it down with a fork.

When browned, add the cabbage and fry for a minute.

Add the lentils cover and cook until the cabbage is wilted.

Taste for seasoning (the lentils will have salt and lemon already) if necessary add some salt and more lemon juice.