Stuffed zucchini with balsamic lentils, roasted almond flakes, mashed potatoes with fried onions and chive sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• Oil for frying
• 1 spring onion(s)
• 1 can Lentils, approx. 300 g drained weight
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 5 g parsley
• 1 tbsp thyme, dried
• 2 tbsp balsamic cream
• 1 tbsp cooking cream, 15% fat
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 tbsp almond flakes
• Fat for the mold
• 180 ml cooking cream, 15% fat
• 5 g chives
• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1 tbsp paprika powder, hot
• 1 tsp flour
• n. B. Peppercorns, optional
• e.g. salt and pepper
• 500 g potatoes, mainly waxy
• 20 g butter
• 200 ml whole milk, 3.5% fat
• e.g. nutmeg, freshly grated
• e.g. salt and pepper
• 10 g fried onions

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/convection oven. Peel the potatoes and halve or quarter them, depending on their size, and boil them in a pot of salted water for 20-25 minutes until soft. Finely chop the chives and set aside. Separately slice the white and green parts of the spring onion into thin rings. Pull the parsley leaves from the stalks and finely chop them. Sauté the white spring onion rings in a tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan. Drain the lentils in a sieve and add them to the saucepan. Peel the garlic and press it into the lentils. Mix in the chopped parsley and thyme and fry everything gently for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of cooking cream. Season the lentils with salt and pepper. Trim the ends of the zucchini and halve the zucchini. Then, using a small spoon, hollow out the halves, leaving a 1 cm thick edge on the sides. Fill with the lentil mixture and top with the almond flakes. Place the zucchini halves in a greased baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for about 20 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile, in the same pot, heat the remaining cooking cream with 50 ml water, the flour, chives, vegetable stock, and paprika powder, and simmer for about 5 minutes until reduced to the desired consistency. Add whole peppercorns, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm. Once the potatoes are done, drain the cooking water and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the milk and butter. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mash everything with a potato masher. Season to taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Top the mash with the fried onions and green spring onion rings, arrange the stuffed zucchini next to it, and add the sauce. You can also pour some of the sauce over the stuffed zucchini.