Soak lentils overnight and drain. (If you don't have time, bring to a boil from cold water, cook for 2-3 minutes and discard water.)

Cube the carrots and potatoes. Dice the onion and bacon.

In a large pot, heat a little oil and cook the onions and bacon until onions are translucent.

Add carrots, potatoes, lentils and bay leaf to the pot and pour in enough water and/or broth to cover everything. Bring to a boil.

Add red wine and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook about 30 minutes or until soft the lentils are soft.

Add whole sausages and let cook another 5-10 minutes.

Add apple cider vinegar and a little more red wine. Bring to a simmer again and let cook for a few more minutes, or until the stew becomes thick and porridge-like.

Prepare spätzle batter. (if using packaged noodles, cook according to instructions).

Mix flour, eggs, salt and sparkling water in a bowl. Sparkling water makes the spätzle fluffier, but regular cold water is fine too.

The batter should be somewhat runny but thick enough that it sticks together to some degree.

Method 1: The cutting board method: Put some of the batter on a cutting board and using a knife, cut and scrape small bits of batter into the boiling water.

Method 2: Use a wide-holed colander or something similar. Press the batter though that so it drops into the boiling water.

The noodles will get fluffy as the cook and float to the top. When the float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon into a colander/strainer.

Immediately dunk the finished noodles into some warm water, which prevents them from sticking together. Drain and divide onto plates.

Spoon over the cooked lentils.

Serve and add a splash more apple cider vinegar, and salt & pepper if you like. The dish should have a nice hint of vinegar taste.