This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lentils.org. The opinions and text are all mine.
{SCROLL DOWN TO ENTER THE #SPRINGCLEANSE #LOVEALENTIL SWEEPSTAKES}
On Monday, I got a very strangely shaped package in the mail. It was large and almost entirely flat and extraordinarily light. I eagerly unwrapped it, wondering if someone had unexpectedly sent me a stunning piece of art (nobody has ever done that, for the record, but wouldn’t that be fun? or maybe terrible—if someone sent you a giant work of art that you hated?) and discovered a truly enormous blown-up, foam-mounted version of the Kale & Caramel book cover!! I was so excited I started to giggle. And then I laid down on the floor with it to try to take a bunch of selfies (naturally), but I could only capture part of my face and the KA and CA from the title. If you’re anywhere near LA, you should come take a selfie with my giant book cover, too. Ten out of ten would recommend as a fun pastime.
In the case that you aren’t able to spend your free time taking selfies with a giant version of your (hypothetical) book cover, I recommend you double down on mealtime satisfaction and make this crispy lentil and smashed potato sheet pan dinner.
The beauty of this prep is that you cook the lentils and potatoes all in one pot, and though there are a couple steps involved, it couldn’t be simpler. Lentils and potatoes are boiled in flavorful vegetable broth with garlic and bay leaf. The potatoes get smashed down on a sheet pan lined with parchment and sprinkled with lentils. The whole thing is doused with olive oil. A second sheet pan of lentils gets the olive oil and pepper treatment for roasting on its own. As they roast, you whip up a super flavorful parsley and chive sauce. And once roasted, the sizzling potatoes and crispy lentils are topped with sea salted Greek yogurt, the lemon herb sauce, and a rainfall of more crispy lentils.
Can we take a moment to discuss how deeply satisfying this dinner (or lunch, or brunch, or, I mean, sure, even breakfast if you want) is? Smashing the potatoes maximizes their exposed surface area, meaning more bang for your potato buck. And the crispy lentils! I’m a huge lentil lover—I eat them by the spoonful plain, in soups, and dolled up with balsamic caramelized onions. But crispy, they have all the punch of fried onions or any other crunchy condiment, except they’re filled with protein and heart-strengthening fiber. Best of all, they’re incredibly easy to make.
And so it seems I’m finally catching on to this sheet pan dinner phenomenon—as we ramp up to Kale & Caramel cookbook’s pub date (May 2!), I’m in need of quick and uber nourishing meal solutions. I have less hours to spend experimenting in the kitchen, as I usually relish, and need more and more energy to schedule events and send emails and plan the cookbook launch party. (Will you be in LA Tuesday, May 2? If so, you must come! Details soon.)
So here’s my to-do list for you this week/end:
- Get some lentils. The kind you find most beautiful. I like French green and black the best, but any will do.
- Make this sheet pan dinner. Feel belly bliss.
- Enter the sweepstakes below to win one of 5 #SpringCleanse prize packs and the grand prize of a $2,000 #SpringCleanse shopping spree.
- Preorder the Kale & Caramel cookbook!
- Breathe deep. Even if it’s just for one minute, slow down.
#SpringCleanse Canadian Lentils Sweepstakes
CRISPY LENTILS & SMASHED POTATO SHEETPAN DINNER.
Ingredients
Crispy Lentils & Smashed Potatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
- 1 cup French green lentils, or lentil of choice
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Lemon Herb Sauce
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves minced
- 1/2 cup minced chives
- smashed garlic from cooked lentils
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Wash and rinse the lentils and potatoes. Place in a large pot with the broth, garlic, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender and the lentils are cooked through.
- Once cooked, drain in a fine mesh strainer, fishing out the potatoes from the lentils. Remove the bay leave and the smashed garlic cloves, and reserve the garlic to use in the sauce.
- Arrange the potatoes evenly across one of the parchment-lined baking sheets, and use the back of a large spoon to smash each one down. Sprinkle 1 cup of cooked lentils over the top of the potatoes. Drizzle them with 1/4 cup olive oil, coating all potato surfaces as evenly as possible.
- Place the remaining lentils in a single layer on the second baking sheet, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon or more of olive oil, and sprinkle with cracked black pepper.
- Place baking sheets in the oven, with the potatoes + lentils on the top if you are using two racks.
- Roast lentils for 27-30 minutes, stirring and turning them halfway through, until they are dry and crispy.
- Roast potatoes and lentils for 40-45 minutes, until potatoes are golden brown and sizzling.
- While potatoes and lentils cook, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the minced herbs, garlic from the lentils, olive oil, lemon, and sea salt vigorously to blend into a sauce. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the Greek yogurt and sea salt and set aside.
- Once potatoes + lentils are roasted, top each potato with dollops of yogurt, drizzle with the herb sauce, and sprinkle generously with crispy lentils. Enjoy!
