Lentils & Lemon-Shallot Dressing

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the lentils and cook, uncovered, 25 to 27 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise; cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic. Pick the mint leaves off the stems. Peel and finely chop the shallot. Zest the lemon to get 1 teaspoon (if you don’t have a zester, use a peeler to remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind). Halve the lemon crosswise; squeeze the juice into a large bowl, straining out the seeds. To the bowl of lemon juice, add the lemon zest, half the chopped shallot, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally, at least 10 minutes. Halve the tomatoes. Cut out and discard the stem, ribs, and seeds of the pepper; medium dice. Combine the halved tomatoes and diced pepper in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Thoroughly wash your hands after handling the pepper.

Place the sweet potato pieces on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer on one side. Roast 12 minutes. Leaving the oven on, remove from the oven. Carefully place the seasoned tomatoes and pepper on the other side of the sheet pan; arrange in an even layer. Roast 10 to 12 minutes, or until browned and tender. Remove from the oven. 

Meanwhile, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the chopped garlic and remaining chopped shallot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the cooked lentils and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes, or until crisped. Transfer to the bowl of marinated shallot. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

In the same pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Crack the eggs into the pan, keeping them separate. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Turn off the heat.

In a bowl, combine the yogurt and 1 tablespoon of water; season with salt and pepper. Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl of dressed lentils. Season with salt and pepper; stir to combine. Serve the finished lentils topped with the fried eggs, seasoned yogurt, and mint leaves (tearing before adding). Enjoy!