6-8 Servings
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 Italian sweet sausages
2 medium carrots, diced into ¼-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery rib, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1-cup dried green lentils
4 cups of chicken stock (I prefer Better than Bullion paste)
2 medium red bliss potatoes, cut into ½ -inch pieces
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Lemon zest, 2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1. Heat a Dutch oven, or heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Pierce the sausages all over with a fork. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add 2 Tbs of olive oil and place the sausages in cook turning to brown on all sides. When browned, remove the sausage to a plate.
2. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the diced carrots, onions, and celery. Cover and let the vegetables cook and soften for 5 minutes. Do not let them brown.
3. To the vegetables, add the bay leaves, dried lentils, chicken stock, and diced potatoes. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the browned sausages to the pot. Cover and simmer for and additional 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork. At this time, you can add more stock if you prefer a stew with more liquid.
4. While the stew if cooking add the parsley, lemon zest, and Dijon mustard to a small bowl and stir to combine and make a paste. Stir the herb paste into the stew just before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste.