Saucisse de Morteau aux Lentilles — Smoke and Soul from Franche-Comté

This is a meal for wooden tables. For stone hearths and misty mornings. For when you’ve spent the day stacking firewood, not scrolling. The Saucisse de Morteau — plump, smoky, and unmistakable with its wooden peg — comes from the mountains of Franche-Comté, where time is measured in seasons, not seconds.

 

Paired with gently simmered green lentils, this dish is more than just nourishment. It’s tradition. It’s silence broken only by the clink of cutlery and the soft, steaming breath from a just-opened lid.

 

We first tasted it on a foggy day in Arbois, in a kitchen that smelled of bay leaf and woodsmoke. The lentils were soft but not collapsing, and the sausage cut open like a promise. A glass of vin jaune nearby. Bread. Butter. And nothing else needed.

The Recipe: Saucisse de Morteau aux Lentilles

 

Serves 4

Time: 1 hour

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 large Morteau sausage (approx. 400–500 g / 14–17 oz) — or another smoked sausage if unavailable

• 250 g (1⅓ cups) green lentils (preferably du Puy or French lentilles vertes)

• 1 onion, peeled and halved

• 2 cloves

• 1 carrot, peeled and diced

• 1 stalk celery, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed

• 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems)

• Salt and freshly cracked pepper

• 1 tbsp duck fat or olive oil

• Optional: splash of white wine vinegar for finishing

 

Method

 

Rinse the lentils in cold water and drain.

In a heavy pot, heat a spoon of duck fat or oil and gently sauté the carrots, celery, and garlic until soft. Stud the onion halves with the cloves and add them to the pot, along with the lentils, bouquet garni, and enough water to cover by 5 cm (2 inches).

 

Nestle the Morteau sausage whole into the pot — it should not be pierced, to preserve its juices.

 

Bring to a gentle simmer, cover loosely, and let it cook for about 45–50 minutes. Do not boil. The sausage should cook through slowly, releasing its smoky perfume into the lentils.

 

Once tender, remove the sausage and bouquet garni. Slice the sausage thickly, season the lentils with salt, pepper, and a small splash of vinegar if desired.

 

Serve hot, with crusty bread and a knob of Dijon mustard on the side.

 

🍷 Wine Pairing

 

A dish of this depth deserves something honest and alpine. Reach for a Trousseau or a light Poulsard from the Jura — pale red, earthy, and delicately spiced. Or a cool Côtes du Jura Chardonnay, with that whisper of oxidative nuttiness that warms the bones.

 

🌿 A Note from the Table

 

Saucisse aux lentilles is a winter blanket in edible form. No sharp edges, no fuss. Just warmth. And smoke. And a sense that all will be well if the pot is full.

 

And if you ever find yourself driving toward Salins-les-Bains and see a roadside sign that says Saucisse chaude – Lentilles maison — stop. You’ve found lunch.