Lentil and Smoked Sausage Pottage

Peel and roughly chop the onion. Dice the carrot and celery into small pieces. Mince the garlic. Slice the smoked sausage into roughly 1-centimetre rounds.

Melt the butter in your Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage rounds and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the buttery fat in the pot.

Add the chopped onion, diced carrot, and diced celery to the pot with the sausage fat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables begin to soften and the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the sweet paprika and let it bloom in the heat for 30 seconds, coating everything in the pot.

Pour in the 6 cups of water. Add the rinsed lentils, tomato sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Stir everything together and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly askew, and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until the lentils are completely tender and the broth has thickened.

Return the browned sausage rounds to the pot, including any juices that have accumulated. Stir gently and let everything simmer together, uncovered, for another 15 minutes so the sausage infuses its smoky flavour throughout the pottage. Taste and adjust the seasoning with the remaining half teaspoon of salt if needed.

Remove the pot from the heat. Spoon the yogurt into the pottage and stir gently until it creates a creamy, tangy swirl throughout. Fold in the chopped fresh dill, reserving a small handful for garnish. Ladle into warmed bowls and top with the reserved dill and, if you like, a extra dollop of yogurt beside each portion.