Potatoes stuffed with lentils

I made this for my parents when they came for a visit. But since they are still suspicious about my cooking...or maybe they were just not hungry, I was happy to eat the leftovers.

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 90 minutes

ingredients

• 8 medium (yellow) potatoes, evenly shaped and sized
• 1/2 cup dry lentils, soaked for 15 minutes and drained
• 3 small carrots, grated
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled, chopped finely
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt + more for potatoes 
• grated zest from 1/2 lemon
• pepper to taste
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil, quantity divided
• 1-2 cups boiling water

instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat half of oil on medium/high. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute. Add 1 Tablespoon of boiling water, cook for 1 minutes. Add grated carrots, chopped tomatoes and lemon zest. Saute for 5 minutes. Add lentils and a cup of boiling water. Cover the pot with a lid, lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes, checking occasionally if more water needed. Add salt and pepper toward the end of cooking.
2. Meanwhile...peel potatoes. Cut off both ends. Using an apple core remover tool, carve out the middle part of the bulb.  Place them in cold water till ready to use to prevent browning. When lentils are ready, drain potatoes, pat them with a paper towel. Rub the insides with salt. 
3. Spoon lentils into the cavities. Pour 1 1/2 Tablespoons oil on a bottom of a medium saucepan (one that can go in the oven). Arrange potatoes in the saucepan rather tightly but without squeezing. Pour water up to 1/3 of the height of potatoes. Cook on medium heat for 40 minutes with a lid slightly ajar. Preheat oven to 200C/395F, top grill function toward the end of cooking.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan on top of potatoes and place in the hot oven for 5 minutes till cheese is melted (melts fast).

notes

• nice recipe, from an Italian grandma Franca;
• her recipe had a ragu sauce as a feeling;
• my lentils with lemon zest did just fine;
• before you start peeling potatoes, see how many and which ones will fit the best into the pot you'll be cooking them in;
• don't try to carve too much out; 1/2 cm (1/5 inch) walls and no thinner; the potatoes I punctured I didn't use for stuffing;
• first time I tried this recipe, I cooked the vegetables only in the oven...for a long time, about 90 minutes (180C/355F), in a ceramic dish without the lid; it took a while but it worked;
• the leftover potato pieces, I turned into mashed potatoes which my daughter can't get enough of and I rarely make.