Of Lentils & Lambs…
by girlinafoodfrenzy
Here we go again, the Sunday roast! This dish is made on a base of those teeny, itty, bitty Puy Lentils and a smattering of garlic, herbs & onion. Add a generous Leg of Lamb and slow roast for hours. See here for previous Lamb recipes or the 8 hr slow roast method. There’s also a braised vegetable dish of Brussel Sprouts and Fennel with goes gorgeously with the lentils. Enjoy a little or a lot, it’s up to you…
Puy Lentils, bay leaves, rosemary, garlic and onion…
Junee Lamb, stamp of approval with a nice squeeze of lemon over that skin and a good rub of salt and olive oil.
Some good hours later… pile up the lentils on the side, garnish with some fennel fronds and reserve the roasting liquid for stocks
In a wide pan add couple of handfuls of Brussel Sprouts, some Fennel quartered and sliced, along with a sprinkle of sugar, salt and red wine vinegar to taste.
Pan fry over a very high heat. The outer leaves of the sprouts should be deeply charred and also nice & crispy. Add a good crack of black pepper and stir some of those lovely silky lentils through. Serve braised veggies alongside the Lamb and get into that food!
Those last few shots just radiate warmth and deliciousness!
Thank you! It’s getting chilly so my oven is my new best friend!
I love lentils. I’ve never tried them with fennel…..will keep this in mind when we start getting chilly again
Everything looks delish!
I love Fennel and it still seems to be readily available here in Aus, even though we’re a few days from Winter now (warm weather and 21 degrees C) still. It’s lovely in a braise and the lentils are just the right amount of nuttiness with the veggies.
Reblogged this on Impazziamo: Artistic.
Thank you Reece, hope this recipe is something you enjoy, Happy Cooking!
Your entire meal sounds terrific and your photos of it are great.
Hi Karen, thank you! It’s always a delight when people enjoy the photos and meal ideas. Especially when considering so many folks have their own creative ways with day to day favourites too
Another who loves fennel! It goes with everything!I’m sure it adds a lot of flavor to the lamb!
I think my poor sweetheart was a little put out when I mentioned there were no fluffy potatoes or juicy carrots today. Especially when I showed him the lentils, Brussel sprouts & fennel!
But I proved him wrong because they were delicious and he devoured those caramelised veggies and went back for more, hurrah!
Tell him if he wants pot a lot of atoes and carrots, to cook them himself! ha ha… you are too nice! Any man would jump at the chance to just taste your cooking, no matter what it is! Just looking at the food you cook, I can tell that the smells and flavors coming out of that oven would put many in a whirlwind!!!
That’s very generous of you to say! I just enjoy trying new things out on my home guinea pig, lol
Great recipe!
Thank you, I was trying to think of a way to shortcut the meal and lentils just seemed like a obvious side (originally I was thinking chickpeas,) plus brussel sprouts & fennel are in abundance right now too!
What an interesting combination of textures and flavours. I love puy lentils, they’re great wee things!
I agree! The sprouts made a lovely change with the lentils (rather) than standard roast veg! As for the Puy lentils, just love that there’s no need for a pre-soak, hence a time saver too.
Yes indeed, they’re like little green gems! I might just use some today now that you’ve reminded me of their magnificence.
Fantastic! I figure I might as well start a lentil trend for spring or autumn now, lol
Great idea!
I can imagine a huge family dinner over this dish – beautiful
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hi Uru, thank you! I know your a vegetarian (right?) so I figure I had to add a lovely veggie recipe in there for other folks too! It’s certainly one of my favourite roast dinners
Looks great. How long did you cook the lamb, and the lentils in the oven?
Hi Wendy, This one I cooked for 3.5 hours on a moderately high heat to begin and then dropped back. I must add that it rested in the oven for another two hours covered with foil so in fact it spent 5.5 hrs in total.
Because the Puy lentils don’t require soaking they’re ideal for the recipe and (the benefit is) that they hold their shape after this time, hope these tips help!
Giaff,
That first picture is so beautiful! How do you do it?! I struggle making the beautiful cooking pictures…I have never been a “tidy” cooker but with this blog I find myself really thinking about the presentation of the food I make! lol
Well let’s put it this way, it takes a lot of time for me to actually cook because I stand there dutifully arranging vegetables and taking a peek through the camera lens. My guy has to remind me that it’s not normal…and often!
ha ha I do the same thing!! And yes I get grief as well…lol