Lamb With Braised Lentils - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 lean lamb steaks
1 lemon, juice and rind of, grated
1/2 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1/2 tablespoon sage, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 slices smoked back bacon, lean bacon is preferable, chopped
2 onions, sliced
1 carrot, finely chopped
250 g green lentils or 250 g puy lentils
450 ml vegetable stock

Preparation

Mix together the lemon rind, rosemary, sage and garlic and rub over the lamb steaks, then squeeze the lemon juice over the lamb steaks.
Heat a large non-stick pan until hot and, over a medium-high heat, add the lamb steaks (and some of the lemon juice that has dripped off them when you transferred them to the pan) and fry for 1 minute on each side.
Remove the lamb from the pan, and set aside.
Add the bacon, onions, carrot and celery to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes or until they are beginning to soften.
Add the lentils and the stock - and any of the herbs and garlic that didn't make it into the pan earlier when you were browning the lamb steaks - and, over a high heat, return the lamb to the pan and bring the mixture to the boil.
Reduce to a low-medium heat and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are tender and most of the stock has been absorbed.
Serve the lamb with potatoes mashed with buttermilk or low-fat milk. If the potatoes have been made ahead of time - and if you like spinach - mix through the mashed potatoes a packet of frozen spinach, which has not only been thawed, and thoroughly-drained but has also had all excess moisture squeezed from it.
Chef's Note: Since I posted this recipe and last made this dish, I have found and posted the most fabulous recipe for vegetable stock, which is now my standard vegetable stock recipe: Vegetable Stock Recipe #135453.