Lentil stew with crispy potato topping
Lentil stew with crispy potato topping
Yields 6-8 servings
Ingredients
½ cup red wine – divided
3 large cloves of garlic – minced
1 pound (6 cups sliced) – cremini mushrooms
1 carrot (¾ cup) – medium dice
1 celery stalk (¾ cup) – medium dice[i]
2 leeks (4 cups sliced)[ii]
1 medium onion - diced
1 tablespoon olive oil - optional
4 cups vegetable stock – divided (salt-free)
1 cup dry green lentils - soaked and rinsed
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons rosemary
1 teaspoon salt - divided
½ teaspoon pepper – divided
1 – 2 russet potatoes – sliced paper thin with skin on
Steps
Soak lentils for a minimum 2 hours. This aides in your body’s ability to digest the lentils and maximize the absorption of their nutrients..
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Slice potatoes using a mandolin. Lay them on a paper towel. It is important they are dry. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the stew.
In a soup pot, sauté mushrooms in ¼ cup of wine. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Cook until softened. Move the cooked mushrooms to a dish and set aside.
In the same pot sauté onions, leeks, carrots, celery and garlic in remaining ¼ cup of wine. Cook until vegetables soften. Add rosemary and lentils. Stir until the lentils are coated and the rosemary becomes fragrant. Add the tamari and balsamic. Stir until well incorporated.
Add 3 cups of the vegetable stock. Bring the lentils to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot until the lentils are tender and most of the moisture is gone. Season with the remaining salt and pepper - ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Stir in the cooked mushrooms, plus the remaining 1 cup of stock.
Spoon mixture into ramekins (oven safe individual serving dishes). Lay thinly sliced potatoes on top. Layering them in a scalloped design. Add a small sprig of rosemary to each dish for garnish.
Bake for 30-40 minutes. Until the potatoes are lightly browned. You can also turn on the broiler for about a minute at the end to add even more colour to the potatoes.
Serve hot.
[i] I use the entire celery stalk including the greens when I make soups, stews and salads. The greens have good flavor and texture.
[ii] Leeks can be a little difficult to clean. Try Jamie Oliver’s tip: slice the leek lengthwise and run it under water with the stalk facing down, so the dirt can escape. Just use the white and light green portions of the leeks for this recipe. Save the dark green portion for vegetable stock. I throw all my vegetable ends in a bag in the freezer and when I have enough, I make stock or use it to enhance a store-bought stock.
