Finding a Vegetarian Main Dish Everyone Likes

Some mealtimes I welcome the opportunity to make a vegetarian dish the whole family will eat and not cry out, “Where’s the meat?”  Other times I seem to develop brain freeze and can’t think beyond Greek Salad.

That was my state of mind yesterday, and then I remembered lentils.  “We all like lentils,” I said to myself while hunting for the lentil and potato dish recipe my friend Gloria once served us.  Eventually it turned up as a marker in one of my cookbooks—in the two-page lentil section.  Luckily I had all the ingredients.

Gloria’s Lentil and Potato Casserole – serves 2-3 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side dish 

Lentils: 

1 cup dried lentils
5 cups water
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 scallions, green and white parts thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes 

Potatoes: 

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut as if making French fries
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

This recipe asks you to cook two separate dishes—lentils and potatoes—at the same time and combine them before serving on a large platter. 

Lentils: 

Combine the lentils and water in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to medium low.  Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but not mushy.  Drain in a sieve and return to the saucepan. 

Add the oil, chopped garlic, tomato paste, sliced scallions, red bell pepper cubes, salt and black pepper.  Stir to combine and heat over medium heat, stirring, until hot.  If the potatoes are ready, transfer the lentil mixture to the center of a large platter and place the potatoes around the edges.  If they’re not ready, turn off the heat, cover and set aside. The lentils can be served lukewarm, but the potatoes should be hot. 

Potatoes: 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Put the cut potatoes in a large bowl and add the oil, dried onion flakes, paprika, salt and black pepper.  Mix well.  Transfer the potatoes to a roasting pan and bake for about 15 minutes.  Turn them over with a metal spatula and bake for another 15 minutes, or until they have begun to brown and soften.  Remove from the oven and, once the lentils are on the platter, add the potatoes to the outside rim. 

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