French Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese

Make the dressing
0 Combine the shallot, vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt and black pepper to taste in a bowl. Let sit 5 minutes to dissolve the salt, then whisk in the olive oil until blended. Another option is to put all the ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until blended.
Prepare the lentil salad
1 Put the lentils, bay leaf and thyme sprigs in a 4-6 quart pot  and cover generously with water and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.
2 Add the carrots, celery and onion to the lentils and continue cooking 5-10 minutes, until the lentils are tender. They will have absorbed most, but not all of the liquid.
3 Drain the lentils and transfer back to the pot or to a serving bowl. Pluck out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and discard. Pour the dressing over and stir to coat. Add the parsley and spinach and stir through.
4 Sprinkle the cheese and walnuts over the salad and serve warm or at room temperature.