Lentil Salad with Hot Italian Sausages

So this dish was one of those dishes that came together somewhat randomly.  I had hot Italian sausages defrosted in the fridge, but I didn't want pasta.  And I couldn't decide what I wanted to serve with hot Italian sausages.  If had merguez defrosted I would have made couscous.  But I didn't.  I briefly considered making spaetzle with my Italian sausage, but quickly decided that even if I had spaetzle (which I wasn't certain that I did), it skewed a little too close to pasta.  Since our last few meals have been so heavy I wanted something, anything to lighten up the Italian sausages a little.  And then while I was headed home on the train it occurred to me that I could make lentils to go with my sausages.  Actually, the recipe that gave me the idea was one that I have made in the past - Salmon with Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter, which involves salmon served over a bed of lentils.  But given that we were serving Italian sausage, rather than salmon, I wanted to give the lentils a little more acidity to cut through the richness of the sausages and make the flavors a little bolder.  So I decided to throw in a little red wine vinegar, an onion, some garlic, and a lonely parsnip we had hanging out in our fridge.  Lentils are healthy, right?  I mean, a salad would have been lighter and potentially healthier, but lentils are packed full of protein and fiber.  

I thought the dinner was nice.  It was filling and hearty, without making me feel gross and full afterward.  It was a good meal for a cold, snowy winter night.  Was it something new and groundbreaking?  No.  But it was a really nice use of some of the items in our fridge and cupboard.  The fresh parsley was a really nice touch because the brightness and freshness of the parsley cut through what otherwise could have been a rather heavy dish.  Actually, I think that the combination of mustard, red wine vinegar, and fresh parsley was a wonderful counterpoint to the spicy sausages and the starchy lentils.  In the sake of full disclosure, we also ate the leftover braised red cabbage with our meal.  It was a really nice combination.

Recipe after the jump!

Lentil Salad with Hot Italian Sausages

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup green lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 cups water
1 dried California bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1 medium parsnip, peeled and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup evoo, plus 2 tbsp, separated3 tbsp cup red-wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 lb. hot Italian sausage

2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

Bring lentils, water, bay leaf and salt to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until almost tender, about 20 minutes. Cover, and simmer, until tender but not falling apart, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Make vinaigrette by whisking together vinegar, and mustard in a bowl. Stream evoo in slowly, whisking until blended well. Season to taste with s&p.  

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp evoo in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat. Cook onion, parsnip, garlic, and s&p, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just softened, 5-6 minutes.  In another medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp evoo over moderate heat.  Add sausages and cook until done, about 7-8 minutes.

Drain lentils in a colander, discarding bay leaf, and return to saucepan along with vegetable mixture and vinaigrette. Cook over low heat, stirring, until heated through. Stir parsley and fresh thyme into lentils. Season to taste with s&p and additional mustard or vinegar as necessary. Remove from heat.

Place lentils on a plate and top with sausage.  

Serve.