Sausage and Lentils with Fried Sage

Ingredients

• 1 package hot turkey Italian Sausage
• 2 cups dried lentils
• 1 piece celery, cut in 3 inch pieces
• 1 whole carrot, cut in 3 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, cut in half
• Generous T chicken flavor base
• 1 T + 2 T olive oil
• 20-30 fresh sage leaves
• 3-4 large garlic cloves

Directions

1. Combine the lentils, celery, carrot, onion, and chicken flavor base, if you’re using it, in a large pot. Add enough water to cover everything, then bring the pot to a gentle simmer.
2. Cook the lentils until they are fully tender. The exact timing depends on the age of the lentils, but plan on about 45 minutes.
3. While the lentils simmer, heat 1 T olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the sausages thoroughly.
4. When the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them on the diagonal into slices about 1 inch thick.
5. Return the sliced sausage to the pan and sear the cut surfaces until deeply browned. Take your time here; this can take up to 20 minutes.
6. Once the lentils are tender, drain them well. Pull out the carrot, celery, and onion, then discard them.
7. Add 2 T olive oil to the same frying pan used for the sausages. Stir in the garlic and cook it just until it begins to turn golden; do not let it get dark, or the flavor will turn bitter. Take out the garlic and discard it.
8. Add the sage leaves to the hot oil and fry them just until crisp, no longer than 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Lift out the sage and chop it with a knife.
10. Add the cooked lentils and sausages to the pan along with half of the fried sage. Saute everything in the seasoned olive oil for 3-5 minutes.
11. Transfer to a serving platter, scatter the remaining fried sage over the top, and serve hot.