Gyro Loaf With Tsatziki Sauce

Mercy's Note:

I confess, my husband is a gyro junkie. I had never had the ethereal pleasure of a gyro until he introduced me to the wickedly intoxicating Greek concoction a few years ago. The trouble you ask? We were low-carbers for about two years running and it was not cost-effective to make special trips out for a couple of paper-thin slices of meat and some sauce. I developed this recipe out of pure desperation by combining several different recipes (found online) and then adding some of my own ideas and spice.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

Gyro Loaf

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 3/4 tablespoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice

Tsatziki Sauce (mix together and chill 2 hours)

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 medium cucumber, grated & squeezed dry
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dill

Directions:

1. Mix loaf ingredients together and shape into a freeform loaf in a baking pan.
2. Bake at 375°F for about 1 hour 15 minutes.
3. Once loaf has cooled to room temperature or has chilled in the refrigerator, slice it as thin as possible (maximum of 1/4 inch).
4. Serve it warm or at room temperature.
5. Can be served in pitas, flatbreads or tortillas with lettuce, tomato, black olives, feta cheese and Tsatziki Sauce or as a main course with a Greek salad, pasta salad or potato salad.

Reviews

[muncheechee]

Outstanding! The meat had a perfect gyro flavor. I followed the ingredient list from this recipe but used Alton Brown's methods which included throwing everything into the food processor and grinding until the meat formed a fine paste. Then I pressed the meat into a loaf pan and baked in a water bath at 325F until the meat reached an internal temp of 165F (about 90 minutes). I believe this method was why the meat was easy to slice thinly. I didn't try your tzatsiki so I can't comment on that. I'll use this recipe again though! Thanks for posting!

[dmac085]

I made this today with all angus beef-1/2 chuck and 1/2 sirloin. I think the flavor was really good but to get it closer I will use the lamb next time. I don't think of myself as a "lamb eater" since gyro's are the only time I will knowingly eat it:lol: I doubled up the oregano since I used fresh and subbed fresh ground nutmeg for the allspice. I did buy a 7 oz container of Greek yogurt for the sauce which flavorwise is almost 1/2way there before you even add the other ingredients! Found it with the regular yogurt in the Harris Teeter chain in NC. I used 1/2 of a large English cuke (the ones wrapped in plastic) both skin and the few seeds included grated on a medium side of my grater. Used cheesecloth to squeeze out the water. Used double the amount of fresh parsley and fresh dill. Squeeze of lemon juice, pinch of dried crumbled mint and a pinch of sugar. Letting it sit covered in the fridge for a few hours is super important so everything blends together flavorwise. Will keep making this one--I'll even buy lamb for this one only:)

[Queen Roachie]

I don't care for lamb, so rating this on my husband's review. I used half ground lamb, half ground beef, and followed the Alton Brown method, as did some other reviewers, of grinding the meats in the food processor, baking in a water bath, and pressing after cooking. Still had some trouble slicing this thin, but maybe needed more time in the food processor before cooking. Served this in pitas with store bought tsatziki and crumbled goat cheese.