Lentil Salad
Warm, earthy Puy lentils tossed in a walnut oil and Dijon vinaigrette, topped with crisp, smoky lardons. Earthy, nutty, sharp and salty. The classic farmhouse starter of the Velay!
Ingredients
- 250 gr lentils lentilles du Puy
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 onion peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- 200 gr vegetarian lardons
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley
- 1 handful chives fresh, finely snipped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 5 tbsp walnut oil
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
1. Cook the lentils
- Rinse the lentils in a sieve and check for small stones. Put them in a saucepan with the carrot and cover with cold water by a few centimetres. Stud the onion with the cloves and add it with the bay leaf and thyme. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes until tender but holding their shape. Add salt for the last 10 minutes.
2. Make the vinaigrette
- In the serving bowl, whisk the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper together. Whisk in the walnut oil a little at a time until thick, then stir in the shallots.
3. Fry the lardons
- About 5 minutes before the lentils are ready, heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the lardons, stirring now and then, until golden and crisp.
4. Dress the lentils while hot
- Drain the lentils and remove the onion, bay leaf and thyme. Tip the warm lentils and carrot into the vinaigrette and toss gently.
5. Finish and serve
- Scatter over the hot lardons and the parsley. Serve barely warm.
Notes
- Dress the lentils while warm so they absorb the vinaigrette.
- Salt the lentils only at the end of cooking to keep the skins tender.
- Swap half the walnut oil for sunflower oil if you prefer a milder dressing.
- Make ahead: the dressed lentils keep 2 days in the fridge. Store the lardons separately and crisp them up again before serving.