Eat For Eight Bucks: Simple Fennel Sausage With Lentil Salad Recipe

• 1 pound ground pork, preferably shoulder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and lightly pounded
• 2 garlic cloves, pounded to a puree
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
• 1 cup French green lentils
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon sherry (or red wine) vinegar plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced quite small
• 1 stalk celery, washed and diced quite small
• About 1/4 cup quite-small-diced onion

1. Using your hands, lightly mix together all ingredients. Distribute seasonings evenly, but avoid mashing the meat. Make a small patty of meat, fry it in a small skillet, and taste; adjust the seasoning as needed.
2. I made 12 small patties by taking scoops of sausage a little larger than golf balls and patting them about 1/2 inch thick with my hands. Then I fried them in a dry, hot skillet for about 5 minutes per side, until they developed a beautiful brown crust and were cooked through.
3. Pick through the lentils for sticks and stones. Rinse and dump into a pot; cover with water by 3 inches and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until tender all the way through, adding more water if necessary, about 30 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt halfway through cooking.
4. When tender, drain the lentils and toss with the tablespoon of vinegar and some freshly ground pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt and vinegar if needed. Stir in the mustard and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
5. Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over a medium flame. Add the carrot, celery, and onion and cook until tender, 5 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Stir the vegetables into the lentils and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ground pork, salt, freshly ground black pepper, fennel seeds, garlic, chile flakes, salt, sherry, freshly ground black pepper, mustard, extravirgin olive oil, carrot, stalk celery, quitesmalldiced

Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/eat-for-eight-bucks-fennel-sausage-with-lentil-salad-recipe.html (may not work)