Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram I’ve spent the last couple days reading my mom’s journal from when she was about my age: she had just had her fifth baby (me!) and I’ve just had my fourth, and our days are spent corralling children. It’s actually not a journal, it’s a bunch of letters sent to her best friend, who had just moved far away. Because let’s be real, moms with 4 or 5 kids don’t have time to journal! Here are a few excerpts from her letters, in italics. You moms will be able to relate: Yesterday I got in a huge fight with my oldest, took away $5 that I owed him, and now I can’t remember the slightest detail. This led, of course, to the conclusion that I’m a worthless, inconsistent parent prone to hysterics. So what else is new, huh? (“Prone to hysterics” sounds familiar. Like mother like daughter!) Well, it’s 5:30, Rich will be home any second and I have not even started dinner. Poor man, I’m sure when he got married he thought he was getting a wife, and instead he got me. This is me, every day. A 2 year old who’s potty-trained – what a novel idea. I’m not even going to try until Nathan has a 1000 word vocabulary – including the sentence, ‘I believe I need to use the toilet, mother.’ Then I’ll tackle it. Well, there you have it. Me, basically, if I had been a mom in 1987. Oh how history repeats itself! Today’s recipe is an easier version of the beef and lamb combo you will see in the US. To make it the way the restaurants do, you have to grind the meat very finely using a meat grinder or food processor, then press it down so that there are no air pockets, and let it marinate for a while. Then they skewer it onto a rotisserie skewer and cook. The meat is sliced off the edges. It’s delicious, obviously, but ain’t nobody got time for that. Instead, we are taking all the flavors you love and basically making meatloaf. It takes about 30 minutes to make the meat, start to finish. Ground beef is combined with ground lamb and spiced with cumin, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram. The resulting meatloaf is tender and flavorful and perfect for a weeknight gyro fest! It comes together pretty quick. In other words, HEAVEN. Seriously my favorite item to get anytime there is a food truck situation. In Greece they serve it with french fries in the pita itself instead of served on the side. It is now my life mission to make it to Greece someday to try it that way for myself!! For the gyro meat: To assemble: You’ll start your gyro meat by finely chopping the onion and garlic. Combine both of those in a bowl with ground beef and lamb, butter or bacon grease, eggs, milk, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. Mix it all up using your hands, then shape the meat for baking. I like to shape the meat into individual patties so that you get lots of crispy edges. You could easily shape it into one meatloaf if you prefer, and slice to serve. You will just have to cook it a bit longer. The ground lamb is what gives this gyro meat it’s distinctive flavor. I know it can be tricky to find sometimes. If you can’t find ground lamb, you could substitute ground beef or ground pork, but the flavor won’t be the same. Go to your local butcher to find ground lamb, if your market doesn’t have it!
Prep the sauce first. The longer the sauce sits, the more flavorful it gets. Prep it ahead of time! Line the baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper or with foil greased with a nonstick spray. This helps prevent the patties from sticking as they bake. Use your hands. I like to wear disposable gloves to mix the meat with my hands. It might feel weird, but it makes mixing so much easier and faster. Don’t over-mix. Over-mixed meat can become tough and dry. Mix only until just combined so it stays moist and tender.
Gyros are also often served with seasoned French fries, which is absolutely delicious! If you don’t feel like making french fries, you could serve these gyros with these easy 3 Ingredient Roasted Potatoes. You could also make this Greek Salad with Feta as a refreshing side dish!
