Beautiful, fragrant and packed with flavour, this keto couscous is a joy to eat! The terms keto and couscous don’t normally go together but by swapping out real couscous for a really healthy cauliflower alternative, you get a similar texture and a great vehicle for loading up with herbs and spices which make this such a wonderful side dish. It could be a main dish in its own right, loaded up with veggies this would make an amazing vegan lunch. Paired with a rack of lamb though, this is a massive treat.
For the lamb, I bought the best organic meat that I could find from the wonderful farmers’ market in Stroud (our little town). Instantly, half the work of this dish is done for you. Buying better quality meat delivers tons more flavour, meaning you can keep things really simple. I seasoned the meat generously, then spiced it up further with some freshly-ground cinnamon. Cooked quickly to add colour whilst remaining seriously juicy inside, it tastes absolutely wonderful.
Rack of lamb is expensive so this one is definitely for more special occasions, but I’m going to be cooking up this couscous (or variations of it) on a weekly basis! It can be quite tricky to think of interesting ‘keto-friendly’ sides, but cauliflower has turned into my new best friend.
Serves 2
Ingredients Cauliflower couscous (should leave you with some delicious leftovers) 1 cauliflower, chopped into smaller florets 1 small red onion, very finely diced A handful each of parsley, mint and coriander, all finely chopped. (Reserve some small mint leaves for garnish) Seeds of half a pomegranate (1) Zest of one lemon A heaped teaspoon of harissa 1.5 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil Lamb 1 6-bone rack of lamb, trimmed then halved (2) 2 tsps cinnamon 2 tsps olive oil Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
In a food processor, pulse cauliflower into couscous-sized grains and spread thinly on a baking tray. Roast for 15-20 minutes (stir after 10). Allow to cool. In a bowl, combine cauliflower with all other couscous ingredients and stir thoroughly.
Increase oven to 220°C or 430°F. Season lamb generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle each rack with ½ the cinnamon and olive oil. Place frying pan over high-heat. Place both lamb racks fat-side down and allow to colour. Sear each of the remaining sides then place in oven for 10 minutes (3). Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into cutlets.
Serve cutlets with couscous and a touch of harissa on each plate and garnish with reserved mint leaves.
Useful tips
(1) To remove the seeds from a pomegranate, slice in half. Turn half cut-side down in your fingers and over a bowl. With a wooden spoon, smack the back of the pomegranate. Allow the seeds to fall through your fingers into the bowl. Pick out any hard white pieces of pith. The seeds keep well in the fridge when kept in tight-fitting Tupperware.
(2) When halving the rack of lamb, look closely at it. It’s not always as simple as slicing in the middle of the third and fourth bones, you may need to go closer to one bone than the other to ensure each rack is about equal size. You want to end up with two, three-bone little racks or best-ends.
(3) The meat will be very juicy and quite pink, cook for 15 minutes if you prefer it more thoroughly cooked. Ensure the two racks aren’t packed together in the pan so they cook evenly.
