Gyros

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb ground lamb

1 lb ground beef (, 80/20)

1 onion (, small)

5 cloves garlic (, minced)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 Tablespoon Dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (, or sub paprika and a dash of cayenne)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 pieces Pita bread (, warmed)

1 cup Tzatziki sauce* (, homemade or store-bought)

3 campari or roma tomatoes (, sliced)

1 red onion (, thinly sliced)

1 romaine heart (, finely chopped)

1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles (, optional)

Hot sauce (, optional)

Directions

Make Gyro Meat (Bake in the morning or day before, if possible): Add onion and garlic to a food processor and very finely chop. Add to a bowl along with the ground meat, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, oregano, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. Use clean hands (or wear gloves if desired) to mix and mash the meat together really well, so it holds together densely.

Bake: Press meat mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 50-60 minutes, or until the center registers 165 degrees on a thermometer. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes, and then, ideally, if time permits, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. (Refrigeration will make the meat much easier to slice.)

Slice Meat: Remove meat from pan (reserve the fat drippings) and cut into thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick.

Brown meat: Heat a griddle, cast iron or skillet over medium high heat. Add some of the meat drippings or a little oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, lay the meat slices flat in the hot pan and cook for just 1-2 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. (Alternately, you can lay the pieces flat on a lined baking sheet and broil for a few minutes in the oven.)

Assemble Gyros: Serve gyro meat in a warm pita, topped with tomato, onion, lettuce, tzatziki, and feta.

Nutrition

• Calories: 525 kcal
• Total Fat: 26 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
• Trans Fat: 0.4 g
• Cholesterol: 92 mg
• Sodium: 1241 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 42 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 30 g