Gyro-Sized Love

I love my husband this much:

Well, more than that. For the past two months, E has been asking me to make homemade gyros. It all started over Labor Day weekend when we were in New Jersey visiting my grandparents. We took them out to a Greek Diner for lunch and I told him that if he wanted to order a gyro (pronounced year-o) at a Greek Diner in front of my Yiayia and Papou, he would need to pronounce it correctly. He was quiet in the car on the way there (perhaps he was practicing?), but when we got there he ordered a gyro with bold confidence and smooth articulation. Perhaps that confidence was a bad thing, because he has not stopped talking about gyros and asking for gyros since he learned how to say the word.  

So, tonight I finally gave in and made gyros for dinner. Perhaps it was because I didn't feel like tackling the mess in the family room, so I decided to make a mess in the kitchen. Or I was just getting sick of him asking so I was hoping they would turn out bad and he wouldn't ask again. Or maybe I was just up for the challenge.  Whatever it was, it ended up being a lot easier than I thought. I didn't need some fancy spinning pile of meat in the kitchen or any strange spices. Typically gyros are made with lamb, but I made ours with ground beef because I'm not a huge fan of lamb.  So, here it is.

Homemade Gyros

1 pound ground beef (not too lean)

2 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 onion, cut into chunks

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 cup greek yogurt

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/4 t. salt

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

pita bread

chopped tomatoes

sliced onions

Combine beef, salt, pepper and oregano in a bowl. Mix with hands until homogenous. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. 

Adjust oven rack to middle and preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place meat mixture in food processor with onion and 1 clove of garlic. Process until smooth. (I could have used a bigger food processor here)

Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Form meat into a rectangle on baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches high, 8 inches long and 5 inches wide (or your best guess).  Bake about 30 minutes. Allow loaf to rest for about 15 minutes or refrigerate until you're ready to eat. 

Meanwhile, make sauce. Combine yogurt, cucumber, finely minced garlic, salt and olive oil. Stir until mixed. 

Adjust broiler rack to highest position and preheat broiler. Thinly slice the meat, place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil until edges are brown and crispy (about 5 minutes but keep an eye on it). Warm pita bread in the oven while the broiler is on. 

Now you're read to eat. Spread the yogurt on the pita and top with a few slices of meat, tomatoes, and onions. Fold the pita up and wrap the bottom half with aluminum foil to hold. Enjoy. 

Looks just like the restaurants, doesn't it?