Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Ok, so my husband and I are HUGE Greek food fans. We loved going to the Greek festival when we lived in Salt Lake City. We moved to Henderson and found a cute little Greek Cafe called "Manna Mediterranean" off of Gibson and American Pacific. We loved going there, but to pay $7.00 for a gyro was just getting too expensive for us being poor medical students. I went home and found this recipe from the Foodnetwork. It is usually made with lamb, but I didn't know where to find specialty meats so I improvised and used ground turkey. It worked just as well, was cheaper and still tasted GREAT! This dish is yummy served with Greek Cucumber Salad too.

Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
2 lbs ground lamb (ground turkey works well too)
1 TBS finely minced garlic
1 TBS dried marjoram
1 TBS dried ground rosemary
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Gyro Meat:
1. Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds. If there is any juice from the onion, drain and discard. Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl. It also works, although not as authentic, to mix thoroughly all ingredients with hands in a mixing bowl.

2. *Press meat mixture firmly the into bottom of a wide pan. Place lid on pan and turn stove to medium heat. Let meat cook for a few minutes, so the meat cooks together and is not crumbly. Using a spatula, cut the meat into bigger pieces and turn over. The meat is done when the juices run clear, about 10 minutes or so. Serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, lettuce, tomatoes and feta cheese.

*Note*This way of cooking the meat was easier than the directions given from the Foodnetwork. If desired, here is the link to the Original Source at The Foodnetwork for their directions.


Tzatziki sauce: Yield 1 ½ Cups
-make a few hours ahead of time so the flavors have time to mix

16 ounces plain yogurt (the brand "Mountain High" works really well because it is thick)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
5-6 mint leaves, finely minced (optional)


1  . Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.



Other Ingredients to Make the Gyro Complete:
Mediterranean pita bread (I found this at The Sunflower Farmers Market)
tomatoes, sliced
onions, sliced in rings
lettuce, shredded
feta cheese


Photo Source: Oasis Restaurant