Lentils with Spätzle and Sausages

Ingredients

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• 80 g (2.8 oz) smoked bacon cut into small cubes
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 onion finely diced
• 2 carrots cut into small cubes
• 100 g (3.5 oz) celery root cut into small cubes
• 1 stalk leek in thin rings
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 300 g (10.5 oz) brown lentils dried, no soaking
• 900 ml (3 3/4 cup) vegetable broth check the package for allergens
• 2 sheet bay leaves
• 500 g (1.1 lb) spätzle fresh from the refrigerated section or homemade
• 8 small frankfurter-style sausages check the package for allergens
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• black pepper freshly ground, to taste

Method

1. Cook the bacon with the oil in a large pot over medium heat for 4 minutes, until it takes on color. Add the onion, carrots, celery root and leek and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring.
2. Dust the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold water, add them to the pot with the bay leaves and deglaze with the broth. Bring everything to a boil.
3. Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are soft but still have some bite. If liquid runs short, add a little hot water; the stew should end up creamy, not dry.
4. Heat water in a second pot until it no longer bubbles (about 176 °F (80 °C)). Add the sausages and let them steep for 8 minutes so they do not burst. Warm the spätzle as directed on the package, usually 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Season the lentils with the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and remove the bay leaves. Serve in deep plates, with the spätzle alongside and 2 sausages on each plate.

Tip: The stew thickens considerably when reheated: stir in a splash of water or broth to loosen it again. It keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator.

Tip: If you make the spätzle yourself, cook them last and toss them in a little butter; the lentils keep warm on the lowest heat in the meantime.