In Greece, gyro meat is usually pork, occasionally chicken or veal. In Athens, a "pita gyro" contains tzatziki, tomato, onion and fried potatoes in addition to the meat. In the USA, gyros are usually made from lamb or a combination of beef and lamb, sometimes chicken. Traditional accompaniments are tomato, onion, and tzatziki, sometimes called "cucumber", "yogurt", or "white" sauce. Some use plain sour cream instead.
Ingredients
Lamb gyro meat
1 pound ground lamb
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp rosemary leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Tzatziki dressing
1/2 large seedless English cucumber
1 7-ounce container plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Salad
Lettuce (Romaine or Iceberg), chopped
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Combine together lamb, garlic,herbs, salt, and crushed red pepper. Knead the mixture until smooth. Divide them into 4.
3. Place 4 "loaves" on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, and slice.
4. In a bowl, grate the cucumber; squeeze the excess liquid out of the cucumber, reserving the liquid.
5. Combine the grated cucumber with yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add in the reserved cucumber liquid to the dressing depending on your favorite consistency. Refrigerate until serving.
6. On a salad plate, arrange lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Place the gyro on top.
7. Serve with tzatziki dressing.
