Rack of Lamb with Couscous

S made this wonderful rack of lamb and couscous over the weekend. We got two dinners out of this meal.

For the lamb:
2 full racks of lamb (2 x 8 ribs)
salt
pepper

Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side of the racks. Place the racks in a saucepan on medium heat and, using tongs, sear the outsides, but keep the insides raw. You just want a thin layer of cooked meat on all sides.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare the breadcrumb crust.

For the breadcrumb crust:
Panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
melted butter
olive oil
dried basil
chili flakes

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. You want the breadcrumbs to be moist but still flaky. Press the crust onto the seared racks of lamb so that the breadcrumbs adhere. Interlock the two racks together into a tent shape with the bones in the air. Stand them upright in a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Let rest for 10.

Couscous:
onions, chopped
mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
salt
raisins
1 C water or stock
1 C couscous

Fry the onions and mushrooms in olive oil. Add some salt. Add the raisins when the other ingredients start to brown. As soon as the raisins plump up, add the butter and water. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Mix in the couscous. Cover for 5 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Cut the racks into ribs and serve on a bed of couscous.