I think lentils fall into the ‘love ’em or hate ’em’ category, I’ll be honest they aren’t something I work with on a regular basis and I don’t know why as they friggin’ rock!! Like rice or pasta lentils are a carrier for flavour, they are pretty bland on their own so you need to give them some love and attention. I’m also told they are good for your spleen……nice.

There are tonnes of recipes like this one, I’ve just chosen Duck as I had some kicking around the fridge but other things that really work are Toulouse Sausage, Pork and meaty white fish like Cod, Haddock or Hake.

2 plates:
2 duck legs seasoned well
200 grams of ‘no soak’ lentils
Handful of petit pois
2 tps of white wine vinegar
Cayenne pepper
Chicken stock for loosening
2 waxy spuds sliced into discs and cooked

The trick with duck is that you can’t really over cook it, I cook this twice which means it gets well crispy. Put the seasoned duck in shallow oven tray and sling in at the highest heat and leave for at least 45minutes. Take out, drain, keep the fat and let cool completely.

Cover the lentils with the chicken stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 40minutes or until tender. When cooked sling in the peas, white wine vinegar and your own amount of cayenne pepper – hot stuff this!! Set aside.

About 15minutes before you want to serve put the spuds in the tray the ducks where cooked in, set the duck on top and back into the inferno of the oven, spoon over a little duck fat –  in effect your making duck and chips here!!

Heat the lentils up in a frying pan and keep tasting and regulate the seasoning, again you can use some of the duck fat to jizz up the lentil. They can be a little ‘cloying’ but this is where the white wine vinegar comes in – use you own judgement and find out what you prefer in terms of ‘bite’.

After 15minutes take the duck out and arrange as the pic above suggests or just eat it with you fingers standing in the kitchen in your PJ’s.