Lentil Salad With Roasted Vegetables

A vegan main dish if made without bacon or with substitute bacon. Very colorful, and very tasty. From The New York Times, a Melissa Clark recipe. Serves 5 if used as a main dish. The densest vegetables, like carrots, acorn squash and turnips, could be roasted longer but exact timing is not very important.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

• Salad

• 1  small acorn squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2  medium carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  medium celeriac or 2  small turnips, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3  small beets, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2  sprigs thyme
• 1  sprig rosemary, cut in half
• 4  slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
• 2  cups brown lentils or 2  cups green lentils
• 2  garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1  bay leaf
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste

• Vinaigrette

• 1⁄4 cup sherry wine vinegar, more to taste
• 2  teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• For serving

• 2  heads radicchio, sliced
• 2  scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
•  parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
•  flaky sea salt, to taste
• 1  tangerines or 1  small orange, halved and seeded

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables in one layer on 1 or 2 large rimmed baking pans, then toss with olive oil and salt. Place thyme and rosemary on top of vegetables, cover pans with foil and roast for 25 minutes. Remove foil, stir in bacon if using and back for 30 to 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender and golden all over.
2. Meanwhile, In a large pot, combine lentils, 6 cuts water, garlic, bay leaft, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard and salt. Then whisk in olive oil.
4. Drain lentils and discard bay leaf; keep or discard garlic as you like. Toss lentils with half the sherry vinaigrette while still warm. Add more salt, olive oil and vinegar as needed.
5. Toss radicchio with enough of remaining vinaigrette to lightly coat it and arrange it on a platter. Combine lentils and roasted vegetables, adding more vinaigrette to taste; spoon mixture on top of radicchio. Garnish with scallions, parsley, sea salt and black pepper. Squeeze tangerine or orange juice over the lentils and drizzle with more olive oil if needed.