The Dish: 5 Corners Kitchen Sausage & Lentils

The Dish: Sausage and Lentils -- The Restaurant: 5 Corners Kitchen -- The Chef: Barry Edelman

Recipe: Sausage & Lentils

Sausage:

We make our own sausage from start to finish at 5 Corners Kitchen. It is smoked in house as well.

You could serve a high quality store-bought sausage with these lentils and it would be delicious!

Lentils Step 1:

-- 1 cup lentils de puy (French green lentils)

-- 5 cups water

-- 1/4 lb slab of applewood smoked bacon, cut in thirds

-- 1 stalk of celery

-- 1/2 carot

-- 1/2 onion

-- 1/2 bulb of garlic

-- 1 fresh bay leaf

-- 1/4 bunch fresh thyme

-- salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and bring to the slightest simmer. DO NOT BOIL! Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are just cooked. Lentils have a tendency to overcook very quickly. Check them often. They should not be mushy and they should still hold their shape without being crunchy. Keep in mind the lentils will continue to cook while they cool down. Transfer to a flat wide pan and cool them in their own liquid. When cool, pick out everything other than the lentils and discard. Reserve cooking liquid.

Lentils Step 2:

-- 1 cup cooked lentils from step 1 with 4 T of reserved cooking liquid

-- 4T Creme Fraiche

-- 1T whole grain mustard

-- 2T minced shallots

-- 1t persillade (chopped parsely and garlic)

-- salt and black pepper

Heat the cooked lentils with the reserved cooking liquid. As soon as the lentils are hot and the cooking liquid has completely evaporated, add the creme fraiche, mustard, shallots, and persillade. At this point, just warm the lentils without boiling. Add black pepper. If needed, add salt. The lentils should already be sufficiently seasoned in step 1 though, so be careful with the salt.

We recommend serving this with watercress that has been dressed with either a champagne vinaigrette or a sherry vinaigrette. We make a sherry, dijon mustard, and shallot vinaigrette.

Top with the sausage that has been cooked in brown butter, making sure the skin is crisped You could also grill the sausage. Serve with a spoonful of whole grain mustard.