Middle Eastern crispy roasted lentil salad with tahini dressing

Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Thoroughly rinse the cooked or canned brown lentils in a colander, then spread them onto paper towels and pat off as much moisture as possible – this is the secret to getting the lentils truly crispy during roasting.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the dried lentils with 30 ml of extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, half a teaspoon of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Spread evenly across the baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, fragrant, and pleasantly crispy. Shake the sheet once halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

For the tahini dressing, whisk together the tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice, the remaining 30 ml of extra virgin olive oil, and half a teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of cold water and whisk until a creamy, pale, and smoothly pourable dressing forms.