When I first started riding recumbents, I developed sharp knee pain. After doing some research, I learned that this is a common problem with recumbents. One solution for a lot of people is pedals with 'float', i.e. your feet can pivot, they're not locked in one position.

Speedplay Frogs were the solution for me, they have a large amount of float, and my knee pain stopped immediately. Another thing I like about them is that there's no big honking lump under my foot that makes it difficult to walk. The cleat is actually recessed in the shoe so walking is not a problem. They'll fit in any shoe that will take an SPD cleat.

They're very easy to get out of, there's no resistance, just turn out 20 degrees and you're out.

They were invented for the mountain bike market, so they're designed not to gunk up if you walk in muck, they're self-cleaning.

Some people object to the "standing on ice" feeling, but I quickly got over that, and I've never had an accidental release.

If you're experiencing knee pain on a recumbent, when you never did on a wedgie, take a look at these, or any other pedal with float.