Gyros

I'm back!!!!!  And, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to hit the blogging world again!  It was great to actually just take some time for myself.  It was greatly needed.  Plus, it's always good to spend time with family, even if it is only for a few days.  We ate lots of great food and I didn't have to cook any of it!!  It was wonderful... I feel like I've gained a few pounds though!!  Oh, well.. it was well worth it :)

So it's back to the normal routine again... and to start out, I decided to highlight yet another recipe from my pal Andrea.  I swear I'm not stalking her!  She's just had some yummy recipes lately that I have been wanting to try... like this one:  Gyros.

Chris loves gyros.  If we go some place that has them on the menu, 98% of the time, he will order one.  I can't blame him.. I love them too.  We used to go to this place called George's Gyros when I was in college.  Late night, after the bars closed, we'd go in and order gyros and fries.  My goodness they happened to be the best gyros I had ever had!!  So, of course, when I saw Andrea's posting for Gyros, I knew I had to try them.  Now I did not want to turn my oven on because of how hot it was, so I ended up making really thin, long patties and frying them in a pan.  It worked out ok, but next time, I'm definitely using Andrea's technique.. I think it would have turned out so much better.  I'm going to give you Andrea's version... you can do what you want with it.. I know I did :)

One more thing before you go - I was recently approached by an editor at Endless Simmer asking if they could use a recipe and picture of mine for a post highlighting creative nacho recipes.  I was pretty surprised that they had seen mine, so I eagerly agreed :)  So, if you want to see what nacho recipe I'm speaking of... Check out THIS SITE and look for number 5 - Grilled Nachos!

Gyros
Adapted from Andrea the Kitchen Witch
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground lamb
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk
2-3 Tablespoons plain bread crumbs
olive oil
pita bread
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
feta cheese
chopped onions (optional)
For Tzatziki Sauce -
6oz Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup English cucumber, finely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine the beef, lamb, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, cumin, and coriander.  Add the egg, bread crumbs, and milk.  Mix with hands until well combined.  Form the meat into a long rectangle, making it slightly thinner in the middle.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top of the loaf and bake for 35-40 minutes or until it reads 160 degrees F internally.  Remove from oven and allow to rest before slicing.

Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the Tzatziki sauce, stir until well combined.

Slice meat into thin (1/8in) slices.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Once oil is hot, fry the slices of gyros until they are golden brown.  Flip and brown on 2nd side.  Remove from pan and allow grease to drain off.

Assemble the gyros with 3-4 slices of gyro meat, lettuce, tomato, feta cheese, onions, and tzatizki sauce wrapped in a warm pita bread.  Enjoy! 

One Year Ago:  Zucchini Gratin