I’ve taken the traditional sausages here and turned them into meatballs. Our boys love anything in meat patty form but you could always stick to good quality sausages for this dish. If you wanted, you could add a splash of white wine to the sweated vegetables before the lentils and a good dollop of creme fraiche to finish it off. Serve the pot to the table with plenty of crusty bread.
Serves 4 
45mins 4 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 bulb fennel, finely chopped
8 good quality sausages
1 tsp green fennel seeds
Finely grated zest of a lemon
Handful chopped flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
9oz puy lentils
17oz chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Few sprigs of thyme
Crusty bread, to serve
4 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 bulb fennel, finely chopped
8 good quality sausages
1 tsp green fennel seeds
Finely grated zest of a lemon
Handful chopped flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
250g puy lentils
500ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Few sprigs of thyme
Crusty bread, to serve
casserole dish
