Lamb Gyro Recipes

LAMB GYRO WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE AND SPICY SOUR CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss the cubed lamb with the garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and lemon juice. Coat the lamb completely. Let the lamb marinate for 30 minutes.
• Heat a large, deep skillet over high heat and drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the lamb with 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the lamb to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides and cooked to medium-rare, about 4 minutes on each side.
• Heat the pita bread in a dry pan or in the microwave for just a few seconds until warm and pliable. On each piece of bread, lay a few pieces of lamb, some tomato slices, lettuce, feta and a spoonful of each sauce. Transfer to a serving platter, fold and enjoy!
• To make Tzatziki sauce:
• In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, mint, dill, lemon zest, and yogurt. Season with salt, to taste, and serve with the gyros.
• Yield: about 2 cups
• To make Spicy Sour Cream Sauce:
• In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, lemon, and sriracha sauce together until completely blended. Season the sauce with salt, to taste, and serve with the gyros.
• Yield: about 1 cup

LAMB GYRO RECIPE

Steps:

• Toast the pitas in a toaster or oven until heated (or use cold bread).
• Slice toppings and prepare tzatziki sauce.
• Cut the gyro meat into thin strands. In a skillet, brown the gyro meat with oil.
• Add meat to pita bread and top with desired toppings.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB (GYROS)

Steps:

• Finely chop up 1/2 of the garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Mash the garlic and salt together with the flat-side of a knife into a paste. Add the oregano and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-oregano paste in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and 1 cup of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Slice the remaining garlic into thin slivers.
• Put the lamb on a large platter, and trim any excess fat. Cut the lamb in 1/2 lengthwise so you have 2 large pieces. Make slits all over the meat with a sharp knife, and push the garlic slivers inside. Rub 1/2 of the garlic-oregano paste all over the lamb and season the meat with salt and pepper. Roll up each piece of lamb lengthwise and tie with butcher's twine to hold the roasts together. Put the lamb on a large platter and slather with the remaining garlic-oregano paste. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Wipe off the excess paste from the lamb so it won't burn in the oven. Place a large roasting pan over 2 burners on medium-high flame and coat with a fair amount of olive oil. Put the lamb roasts in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on all sides. Transfer the pan (and lamb) to the oven and roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it should be pink in the center and the internal temperature reads 130 degrees F. Allow the lamb to stand 10 minutes to let the juices settle before and slicing.
• Cut off the butcher's twine and thinly slice the lamb. Place the meat in the center of the pita breads. Top with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and tzatziki.
• Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.

GREEK-AMERICAN LAMB GYROS RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine lamb, salt, pepper, and oregano in a medium bowl. Mix with hands until homogeneous. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Meanwhile, place yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl. Allow to drain in refrigerator for 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place cold lamb mixture in bowl of food processor with onion, garlic, and bacon. Process until smooth a purée is formed, about 1 minute total, scraping down sides with rubber spatula as necessary.
• Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. With moist hands, form meat mixture into rectangles about 1 1/2-inches high, 8-inches long, and 5-inches wide. Bake until center of loaf reads 155°F (68°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Allow loaf to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes (or refrigerate for up to a week, see notes).
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine strained yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
• Adjust broiler rack to highest position (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches from broiler element) and preheat broiler. Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch strips (each strip should be about 5-inches long and 1 1/2-inches wide). Lay strips on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil until edges are brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Tent with aluminum foil. Warm bread by placing on rimmed baking sheet and broiling until soft and pliant, about 45 seconds per side.
• Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over each piece of bread. Divide meat evenly between sandwiches. Top as desired, wrap with foil, and serve.

EASY LAMB GYROS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Spray a large loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Combine lamb, Greek seasoning, and egg in a bowl. Mix until ingredients are very well combined (overmixing is preferable here.) Firmly press mixture into the prepared loaf pan, making sure there are no air pockets under the meat. Cover with foil.
• Cook in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 2 hours.
• Remove from the oven and let rest, covered, until all the grease on top is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove meat from the pan and cut into thin slices.
• Load meat into the center of warmed pitas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and tzatziki sauce. Serve immediately.

TRADITIONAL GYROS

Steps:

• Place onion in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Transfer onion to a piece of cheese cloth and squeeze out the liquid. Place onion in a large bowl.
• Mix lamb, beef, garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and salt with the onion using your hands until well mixed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place meat mixture in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and tacky, about 1 minute. Pack meat mixture into a 7x4-inch loaf pan, ensuring there are no air pockets. Place loaf pan into a roasting pan and pour enough boiling water around the loaf pan to reach halfway up the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Pour off any accumulated fat and cool slightly.
• Thinly slice the gyro meat mixture.
• Spread 1 tablespoon hummus onto each pita bread; top each with gyro meat mixture, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.

LAMB GYROS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium high heat; add onions and garlic and saute for five minutes. Add red pepper flakes. Add lamb and cook until there is no pink left.
• In a small bowl, combine the parmesan cheese, oregano, cumin, and pepper. Mix, and add to lamb, stirring well to evenly coat the lamb.
• Cook for five minutes, then add the sliced mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. Cook until fully heated.
• Serve on flatbread or pita bread: sprinkle feta cheese and olives to taste (about one ounce of each), add the lamb mixture. Add a cucumber sauce if you like, and serve.

BEST HOMEMADE LAMB GYROS

Steps:

• Two to three days before:.
• Cut the meat into small cubes, removing only large pieces of fat. Grind rosemary until fine, add the garlic, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper, and lemon zest (fine grated from one lemon) and process a bit. Do not add the onion!
• Place the meat and spice mixture in a plastic bag, mix well, seal tightly and chill, turning now and then.
• 8 to 18 hours before serving:.
• Coarsely chop the onion and process it in the food processor until it is mushy with no onion pieces in it. Pour it out onto a clean fine weave cloth, gather the cloth up around the onion and squeeze out the liquid very well until the onion is very dry.
• Working in batches, grind the meat cubes in the food processor until finely ground. Add the onion to all the meat and mix well. Then re-process in batches until the mixture is reduced to a fluffy paste -- this may take two or more minutes per batch. Knead the meat mixture very well, form into a compact log 8-10 inches long with blunt ends, and wrap very tightly in plastic wrap (see picture). Chill for 3 to 18 hours.
• 1.5 to 2 hours before serving:.
• Remove plastic wrap and re-wrap tightly in foil. Put on indirect heat on the BBQ 375-400 degrees, turning every 15-20 minutes for about 60-70 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Remove from grill and leave in foil for at least 20 minutes. Final temperature should be 160-165.
• Slice very thin horizontal slices. If you like your gyros meat crispy, saute the slices in a hot skillet for a few minutes before serving (I like mine soft, so I just zap it very briefly if I need to warm it up!).
• Serve with tzatziki (try #59336) and warm pita.

KEFI LAMB GYRO

Steps:

• Brush the onion slices with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. On a hot griddle pan or in a cast-iron skillet, grill the onion until tender. Separate into rings and chop very fine.
• Lightly brush a 7 1/2 X 11-inch baking dish with olive oil and preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped grilled onion, lamb, pork, mustard, garlic, coriander, espelette, fresh herbs, scallion, and eggs. Season liberally with kosher salt and pepper and thoroughly combine the mixture with clean hands. Transfer to the baking dish and spread out evenly to the edges, smoothing the top flat. Place the dish inside a larger roasting pan and add boiling water to about halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until the gyro shrinks away from the sides and is quite hot in the middle when pierced with a metal skewer (around 150°F). Remove the pan from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or, ideally, 24 hours, to develop the flavors.
• Place a large, flat platter upside down over the baking dish. Turn both over, and carefully remove the gyro. With a hot, sharp knife, slice the gyro about 3/8 inch thick. In a very large skillet, warm 1/3 cup oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the gyro slices and sauté for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan around to thoroughly coat the slices with the oil.
• Paint the pita with extra-virgin olive oil, season with kosher salt and pepper, and grill until firm and char-marked on all sides. Smear some Tzatziki in the center of each pita round. Divide the gyro meat among the pitas, on top of the tzatziki. Add some Greek Salad. Pull the sides of the pita up to meet in the center, like a taco. Serve like a taco, or wrap and secure with a wide strip of parchment. Messy and great!

FAVORITE MEAT LOAF GYROS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the egg, garlic, oregano, kosher salt and pepper. Crumble lamb and beef over mixture; mix well. , Pat into an ungreased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until no pink remains and a thermometer reads 160°. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours., For sauce, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving. , Brush pita breads with 1 tablespoon oil; heat on a lightly greased griddle for 1 minute on each side. Keep warm. Cut meat loaf into very thin slices. In a large skillet, fry meat loaf in remaining oil in batches until crisp. , On each pita bread, layer the tomato, onion and meat loaf slices; top with some tzatziki sauce. Carefully fold pitas in half. Serve with remaining sauce.