Toulouse sausages with Puy lentils and golden mash

Method
Prep:25min  ›  Cook:35min  ›  Ready in:1hr 

1. Preheat the grill. Rinse the lentils and place them in a saucepan with 600 ml (1 pint) of the stock and the chopped onion. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes. Add the butternut squash and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until both the squash and potatoes are tender.
3. While the lentils, potatoes and squash are cooking, grill the sausages for 15 minutes, turning them several times so they brown evenly.
4. Slice the sausages thickly and add them to the lentils, together with the tomatoes and their juice. If the lentils have absorbed all the liquid, add the remaining stock. Cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.
5. Drain the potatoes and squash and mash them with the milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto plates and top with the sausages and lentils. Drizzle over the vinegar and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Some more ideas

For an oven-baked version, soften 1 large roughly chopped onion in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a flameproof casserole. Stir in 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1 large seeded and chopped fresh red chilli. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in 1 seeded and chopped red pepper, 450 g (1 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice, 170 g (6 oz) Puy lentils, 1 can chopped tomatoes, about 400 g, with the juice, and 750 ml (1 1/4 pints) chicken stock. Add 200 g (7 oz) sliced smoked pork boiling sausage or a combination of sliced kabanos sausage and pork boiling sausage. Season well and bring to the boil, then cover and transfer to a preheated 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4) oven. Cook for 1 hour. Stir in 2 tbsp chopped parsley before serving. * Turn this into a vegetarian dish by using vegetarian sausages and vegetable stock. * Use kabocha squash instead of butternut.

Plus points

Mashing the potatoes with butternut squash adds wonderful colour and texture, as well as beneficial nutrients. Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin C and a useful source of vitamin E and beta-carotene.

Each serving provides

A, B1, B6, C, E, folate, niacin, iron * selenium, zinc * B12