While many of you were chugging (figuratively…and literally…) up Hayes a couple Sundays back during Bay to Breakers, I was grinding, seasoning and stuffing 50 pounds of Fatted Calf meats (thanks Jen…sheesh…you spoil us so!) with my own centipede of foodies in a 3-bum Fell Street kitchen. The Mission? Sausage. Lots. The lead off? Merguez, a spicy lamb and beef sausage of Arabic origin, and the feature of Christopher’s Bachelor Dinner #1.
Bachelor Dinner #1: Merguez and Lentils
serves 2 – 4
2 cups red lentils (or a mix of red and yellow), rinsed and inspected for non-lentil items (like tiny stones)
6 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 oz. Merguez sausage (approx. 4 small or 2 large)
1. Place lentils in a large saucepan with the 6 cups of water. Sprinkle in the salt and add the Merguez. Cover pan with lid (ever so slightly ajar to let some steam escape and prevent a messy boilover) and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover completely and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Done. Garnish with your favorite selection of accompaniments: yogurt, dried mango strips, mango chutney, toasted nuts, raisins (you can even throw a few of these in during the last 10 minutes of sit time), Harissa for a little more heat, and a final sprinkle of sea salt after you taste.
Amy’s Kitchen Coach Tips
- The beauty of this dinner is that the sausage provides all the flavoring you need for the lentils. Hence, you want a sausage with a lot of flavor going on, that is why the Merguez works particularly well.
- Fabrique Délices makes a great Merguez which you can find in many markets, usually frozen.
