Sausage, Lentil and Apple Casserole

This is one of our family favourites. Don't be put off by the lentils - it helps to stretch the meal a little further and they have a wonderfully subtle nutty taste. Don't faff about with soaking dried ones overnight if you don't want to - most supermarkets sell tins of lovely green or puy lentils - just open the can, drain and rinse and chuck them in! If you are cooking for children, you may prefer to chop the onion finely rather than cutting it into wedges.

1 onion, cut into wedges
4-8 sausages (depending on how hungry you are)
1-2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
1 tbsp flour
1 pint of chicken stock (made from stock cubes)
1 tin green lentils, drained and rinsed
Fresh sage leaves or a pinch of dried herbs

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add your sausages and fry on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning frequently.

Add the onion wedges and continue to stir around, until everything is nice and golden.

Add the apples, and stir carefully so the wedges remain whole and start to colour slightly too.

Throw in 1 tbsp flour, and continue to stir about until it has been absorbed and cooked through for a minute or two.

Add chicken stock slowly, stirring until it thickens. You probably won't need all of it - you are aiming for a sauce rather than a soup!

Drain lentils and add to casserole with some fresh sage or dried herbs.

Allow to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. (Add more stock if necessary)

Serve with crusty bread or mashed potatoes.

VARIATIONS:

You can stir in a teaspoon of mustard to the casserole if you like, or some apple sauce. Try using dried apricots insted of an apple. Alternatively, use beef stock and redcurrant jelly for a different flavour. Feel free to throw in a slug of wine also…