Savory Lentil Stew with Root Vegetables

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I made this stew for dinner tonight, and I thought others out there might be looking for a delicious winter meal! I used seasonal (to the mid-Atlantic, where I live) root vegetables and dried lentils because that was what I had available, but I'm sure this idea would be good if you carried it out with beans, split peas, or other winter veggies that you happen to have. Share your recipes if you come up with something good!

This pot will serve eight people (if they eat medium-sized bowls, not mammoth soup dishes), and each serving contains 268 calories, 39 carbs, and 6 grams of fat. Each serving also offers 35% of a pre-menopausal woman's daily iron intake, which is always nice. Let me know if you make this and like it! I love the spicy taste of turnips, the rich aroma of celery root, and the heartiness of potatoes - not to mention the fact that I'm crazy about lentils - so I hope you do too! Note: this could easily be made vegetarian with the substitution of olive oil (or your favorite fat) for bacon grease and vegetable stock or water for the chicken stock.

2 Tablespoons bacon grease
1 leek, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 large celeriac, peeled and cubed
4 small turnips, peeled and cubed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons sea salt
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups dry green lentils

Melt the bacon grease in a large pot and saute the leek, potato, celeriac, and turnips until golden brown. Add thyme, bay leaf, parsley, black pepper, sea salt, and chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Stir in lentils and cook until they and other vegetables are tender (at least an hour), adding more stock or water if necessary to thin to a desired consistency. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaf before serving.