Lentil casserole with leek and bacon

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g mountain lentils or Le Puy lentils
• Salt
• 400 g potatoes
• 100 g smoked bacon
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 leek(s)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 250 ml milk
• Salt and pepper, white
• lemon juice
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• 100 g grated cheese (e.g. Gouda) for sprinkling

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Boil the lentils in salted water until soft. Drain in a colander and set aside. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 cm cubes. Then boil in salted water in the same pot until just tender. Drain the mixture into the colander with the lentils. Dice half of the bacon and the onion and sauté in a pan until translucent. Finely chop the leek and sauté in the onion and bacon mixture. Add the lentils and diced potatoes and mix everything together. Season generously with salt and pepper and pour into a shallow baking dish. For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and sauté briefly. Stir in the cold milk, stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps. Let the sauce simmer slightly to reduce the flour flavor. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir in the mustard. Pour the sauce over the casserole. Finally, top with the grated cheese and the remaining diced bacon. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (top/bottom heat) for about 30 minutes on the middle rack. Note: This dish can be easily prepared in advance and baked later in the oven.