Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

For the Casserole

1.5kgLincolnshire Sausages, skinned
12Rashers smoked streaky bacon, diced
3 tbspOil
3Medium Onions - Chopped
4Cloves of Garlic - Chopped
400gRed Lentils
2LChicken Stock
30mlBlack Treacle
2tbspWholegrain Mustard
BunchThyme
2Bay Leaves
PinchSalt
PinchBlack Pepper 
600gParsnips - Peeled

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ Fan 160ºC/ 350ºF / Gas Mark 4.
  2. Make patties out of each skinned sausage. Hat the oil in a large casserole dish, and brown the sausage patties all around. Set to the side.
  3. Stir in the bacon, onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. When the onions are softened and golden, add the lentils, stock, Black Treacle, mustard, thyme and bay leaves. Season well.
  4. Bring to a simmer and add the sausage patties. Cover with a well fitting lid and cook in the oven for 40 minutes, until all the lentils are cooked.
  5. Cut the parsnips into 2.5cm / 1 inch chunks and stir into the casserole. Cook for a further 20 minutes, until the parsnips are tender and the sauce is thickened. Remove the thyme and bay leaves. This will thicken on cooling - if it thicken too much, just add some extra chicken stock to bring it back to the desired consistency. Serve the casserole piping hot with garlic mash.