Sausage and lentil casserole
Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 venison sausages
- 4 slices of smoked bacon, loin meat only
- 8 medium shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 2 carrots, cut into chunks
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- A pinch of dried chilli flakes
- A sprig of rosemary
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 250g Puy or green lentils
- 10 juniper berries
- 300ml port
- 1 pint fresh chicken stock
- 1 tsp redcurrant jelly
- ½ a small bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
METHOD
How to make sausage and lentil casserole
- Heat the oil in a large casserole pan. Throw the sausages in and brown them all over. Remove from the pan then add in the bacon.
- Fry the bacon for a minute or two, then throw in the shallots and garlic. Fry for about 5 minutes or until the bacon is golden and becoming crisp and the shallots, carrots and garlic cloves have some colour.
- For the last minute of cooking add in the chilli flakes, herbs and juniper berries. Add the tomato puree and cook for a further minute.
- Pour in the lentils so they can infuse in all of the flavours, then cover with the port and stock.
- Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer.
- Add the sausages back to the pan cover with a lid and let it simmer away for 30 minutes or until the lentils have drunk up most of the stock and have left a rich sauce.
- Stir in the redcurrant jelly and serve sprinkled with parsley.