Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lamb and Mint-Olive Dressing
Two whole heads of cauliflower roasted until the outsides are deep brown and the cores are tender, cut into wedges and served with seared lamb and a mint-olive dressing.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I make this on a Sunday when I want the oven doing the work and I do not want to think about a main course and three separate sides. Two heads of cauliflower go in whole, and an hour later they come out brown at every edge and sweet all the way to the core, while the lamb takes about eight minutes in a hot skillet right at the end. It is the dinner I hand people in week three of an elimination protocol, when roasted vegetables have started to feel like an obligation. A whole head, cut at the table into wedges, does not read as a side dish, and that matters more than it sounds like it should.
The step people get wrong is crowding the pan and rushing the heat. Cauliflower has to steam before it browns, so the heads go into a covered pan with a cup of bone broth for the first half hour, and only then does the foil come off and the oven go up so the outsides can darken in the oil. Skip the covered stretch and you get a scorched surface over a raw core. Skip the uncovered stretch and you get something pale and wet. The garlic slices tucked down between the florets go soft and sweet in that trapped steam, and the broth left in the bottom of the pan cooks down to a few spoonfuls worth pouring over everything.
Lamb leg is what makes this dinner rather than a vegetable plate. I sear it hard, pull it at medium-rare, and let it rest while I cut the cauliflower, so the juices end up on the platter and not on the board. Sliced thin and laid alongside the wedges, a modest amount of it goes further than a whole chop each ever does. The dressing is mint, parsley, olives, lemon, and shallot stirred together in a bowl while the meat rests, and it is the thing that keeps the plate from tasting like two brown foods sitting next to each other. Leftovers are better chopped together and warmed in a skillet the next day.
Ingredients
- 2 medium heads cauliflower (about 3 1/2 lb total), leaves trimmed and stems cut flat
- 1 1/4 lb boneless lamb leg steaks, about 1 inch thick
- 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- 6 cloves garlic, 4 thinly sliced and 2 grated
- 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives (about 12), roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, divided
Instructions
- Heat the oven and trim the heads: Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pull the leaves off each cauliflower and cut the stem flat so the head sits upright, then cut a deep X about an inch into the core with a paring knife. Push the sliced garlic down between the outer florets and into the cuts in the core.
- Steam the cauliflower: Pour the bone broth into a deep roasting pan or a Dutch oven and set the heads in it stem side down. Rub 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt over the tops and sides, cover the pan tightly with foil, and roast for 30 minutes.
- Brown them hard: Take off the foil and raise the oven to 450°F (230°C). Roast for 25 to 30 minutes more, basting once with the liquid in the pan, until the tops and the outer florets are deep brown and a knife slides into the core with no resistance. The broth should be down to a few spoonfuls.
- Make the dressing: While the cauliflower browns, stir the mint, parsley, olives, shallot, grated garlic, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil together in a small bowl with a pinch of the salt. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes so the shallot loses its raw edge.
- Sear the lamb: Pat the lamb steaks dry and season them with the rosemary and the remaining salt. Sear in a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until well browned and the thickest part reads 130°F (54°C) for medium-rare. Move to a board and rest 8 minutes before slicing against the grain.
- Cut and serve: Cut each cauliflower head into thick wedges through the core and lay them on a platter. Spoon the reduced pan juices over the wedges, arrange the sliced lamb alongside with any juice from the board, and spoon the mint-olive dressing over both.
Variations
- Beef rather than lamb: Sear sirloin steaks the same way to the same temperature when you want something less distinctly grassy on the plate.
- Turmeric rub: Work a teaspoon of turmeric into the oil before you rub the heads for a gold crust and a faintly earthy note under the sweetness.
- Broccoli heads: Two whole broccoli crowns roast the same way with 10 minutes cut off each stage, and the stems go sweet like the cauliflower core does.
- More greens: Pile arugula or watercress onto the platter before the wedges go on so the hot cauliflower wilts it slightly.
- Pan sauce: Add another half cup of broth after the roast, scrape the pan on the stovetop, and reduce it into something loose enough to pour.
Storage & Leftovers
Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store the lamb and the cauliflower in separate containers, since the meat holds its texture better away from the moisture the roasted wedges give off, and keep the dressing in its own small jar so the mint and parsley stay green.
The best way to reheat this is not to reheat it as a plate. Chop the cauliflower and the lamb into rough pieces, warm them together in a skillet over medium heat with a spoonful of olive oil for about 5 minutes, and spoon the cold dressing over the hot pan. It eats like a different dinner.
Roasted cauliflower comes back watery from the freezer, so I would not put this away for later. Cooked lamb does freeze for up to 2 months if you slice it and wrap it tightly, and it is best used chopped into a skillet rather than served in slices once it has thawed.
Notes & Tips
- Cut the core: The X you cut into the stem is what lets heat into the densest part of the head. Without it the core is still crunchy when the outside is done.
- Buy heads the same size: Two heads of different sizes finish at different times. If yours are mismatched, give the larger one a 10 minute head start under the foil.
- Seal the foil properly: Steam escaping at a loose corner is the usual reason the first stage undercooks. Crimp it right down onto the rim of the pan.
- Dry the lamb: A wet surface steams rather than browns. Pat the steaks with a towel and season them right before they go into the pan.
- Rest the meat properly: Eight minutes off the heat is not optional. Cut it early and the juice runs onto the board rather than staying in the slices.
- Dress at the table: The herbs in the dressing dull within an hour of meeting hot food, so spoon it over just before people sit down.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- The cauliflower, the lamb, and the raw green dressing are doing three separate jobs here. The roasted heads give the plate its bulk and its sweetness, the lamb gives it substance, and the mint, parsley, and lemon stirred together at the end keep something this rich from settling.
- Cauliflower roasted whole tastes almost nothing like cauliflower cooked in water. The outer florets caramelize, the core turns soft and buttery, and along with that comes the vitamin C and the fiber that let a wedge of it hold the middle of a plate.
- Lamb leg is close-grained and faintly sweet, and a few slices go a long way because of how densely it eats. It carries iron in the form your body takes up most readily, along with the B12 and zinc that red meat is known for.
- Olive oil and kalamata olives bring the salt and the fat the dressing needs in order to cling to a wedge, and the monounsaturated fat in both is what carries the mint and the lemon across every bite rather than leaving them in the bowl.
- Garlic slices pushed down into the florets go sweet and mild in the trapped steam, which is a gentler thing than raw garlic for most stomachs. What you taste at the end is the browning, the lemon, and the herbs, and the plate needs very little salt because of it.
- As you eat, notice how different the dark crisp edge of a wedge is from the soft core underneath it, and let that contrast slow your fork enough that you feel the meal finish rather than simply end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different cut of lamb?
Shoulder chops work well and cost less, though they want an extra minute per side and a longer rest. A piece of loin is the tender option and cooks faster, so check it early. Beef sirloin cut into steaks behaves almost the same way in the pan at the same weight.
The outside browned but the middle stayed hard. What went wrong?
Either the foil came off too early or the heads were larger than the recipe assumes. The covered half hour is what cooks the core, so if your heads are big, give them 40 minutes covered before you uncover. Test at the stem with a paring knife rather than at the florets.
Can I make part of this ahead?
Yes. Roast the cauliflower earlier in the day, leave it at room temperature, and put it back into a 425°F (220°C) oven for 10 minutes to crisp up before serving. The dressing holds for a day in the refrigerator. Sear the lamb fresh, since it goes gray and firm on reheating.
Does this work during an AIP elimination phase?
It does. There are no grains, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, or nightshades in it, and the flavor is coming from garlic, rosemary, mint, lemon, and browning. Check the olive jar for the brine ingredients, since some brands add things beyond salt, water, and vinegar.