Name: Creamy Mustard Sausage, Fennel & Puy Lentil Casserole
Total time: PT1hour30minutes
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp light olive oil; 25g unsalted butter; 8 pork sausages; 80g smoked lardons; 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 1 onion, finely diced; 1 large carrot, finely diced; 1 fennel bulb, finely diced; 3 bay leaves; 1 large sprig thyme; 3 garlic cloves, finely grated; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 150ml dry vermouth or white wine; 750ml hot chicken stock; 250g Merchant Gourmet Dried Puy Lentils, rinsed; 200g crème fraîche; 2 tbsp Dijon mustard; 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped; Salt and black pepper

Creamy Mustard Sausage, Fennel & Puy Lentil Casserole

A rich, comforting casserole of browned pork sausages, tender Puy lentils and sweet fennel, slowly cooked in a flavourful stock. Finished with a dollop of mustard-spiked crème fraîche and fresh parsley, it's a hearty one-pot dinner perfect for chilly evenings.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large ovenproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the sausages and cook for 6–7 minutes, turning once, until browned on several sides. Transfer to a plate.
Add the lardons and fennel seeds to the casserole and cook for 2 minutes until lightly golden.
Stir in the onion, carrot, fennel, bay leaves and thyme. Cook for around 7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring regularly.
Pour in the vermouth or white wine and simmer until reduced by roughly half.
Add the chicken stock and Merchant Gourmet Puy Lentils. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. The mixture should still appear quite brothy.
Return the sausages to the casserole and bring everything to the boil.
Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove the lid and cook for a further 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. The casserole should remain loose and spoonable.
Mix the crème fraîche and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl.
Remove the casserole from the oven and spoon over the mustard crème fraîche. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve immediately.