Gyro Meat With Tzatziki Sauce

Everyone made their own with the
toppings they liked

Well I knew this gyro would never come close to my beloved gyro at Santorini in Deland, but happily it was still pretty good.  I didn't think that the recipe could be easily halved because I was cooking it like meatloaf (maybe it would be ok on the rotisserie?), so I invited friends to be Guinea pigs along with my family to try out my first stab at a gyro.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their food.  It was a lovely night and we ate outside which was fun too:).  I only made one deviation from the recipe and that was in the Tzatziki sauce.  The yogurt I bought was plain Greek yogurt at 10% milkfat and almost as thick as peanut butter so I didn't think it needed to drain like regular ole plain would need to in order to thicken up. (Which was a nice time saver too) The meat was perfect.  It looked like the gyro meat you get from a restaurant.  (Its an Alton Brown recipe so no surprise there) I bet for busy nights, you could have all the parts of the meal prepped (make the sauce, chop veggies, have meat ready to cook etc...) and just put the meat in the oven say on your way out to soccer.  I cooked mine for 80 minutes.  That is plenty of time for me to go to soccer and come back.  Not a economy meal but not a bank breaker.  I think the meal, for 8 mind you cost about $25.  The lamb was the pricey part at $8.99 a pound.  I have heard people use all beef  or a mixture of beef and lamb.  If you are wanting to bring the cost down.  Me I like all lamb.

No tomatoes for the husband:)

Gyro Meat With Tzatziki Sauce
1    medium onion,finely chopped or shredded
2 lb ground lamb
1 T  finely minced garlic
1 T  dried marjoram
1 T  dried ground rosemary
2 t  kosher salt
1/2 t  freshly ground black pepper
Tzatziki Sauce,recipe follows

Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out
into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and
squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
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.
To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides
of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75
minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from
the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack
and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of
the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal
temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with
tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.
To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2
overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long.
Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any
air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the
ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store
in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow
the mixture to firm up.
Preheat the grill to high.
Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece
of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch
any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium
and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal
temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and
allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the
internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread
with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a
bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
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.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/gyro-meat-with-tzatziki-sauce-recipe/index.html