Unfortunately, the Greek restaurant we had here in town closed down, and even though there are a few places that serve gyros still, I decided to keep working on my own version at home. I have made Gyros Burgers before, but wanted to try it as more of a meatloaf than burgers so it could be sliced and put in pita pockets. Now, the downside to meatloaf is that it takes a while to cook without getting too dry. So, now, when I have time I can do meatloaf, if I’m pressed for time, I can do burgers. I also made tzatziki for the first time tonight to go with this. It was perfect! My husband is usually not a fan when we get gyros when eating out. He says it’s too messy, but this was thicker, more dip-like, so it wasn’t dripping all over when eating it. Tonight, I served it with Sweet Potato Chips, which were a nice compliment to the gyros.
Gyros Meatloaf with Tzatziki
What you need:
Gyros Meatloaf:
1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground lamb or 2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Dash of ground cumin
Tzatziki (original recipe with more step by step pictures at Daily Cynema:
24 oz container plain Greek yogurt
1 seedless cucumber, peeled
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
How to make it:
Put the onion in a food processor for a few seconds. Remove into paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid. Place onions in a mixing bowl, and stir in remaining meatloaf ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325 F
Put the meat mixture back into the food processor and process for about a minute or until mixture becomes like a fine paste. Press meat mixture into a 9 x 5 loaf pan, making sure there are no air pockets. Place loaf pan in a larger roasting pan, and pour boiling water into the roasting pan until there is enough to reach the middle of the side of the loaf pan, creating a water bath for baking.
Carefully place in oven and bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 170 F. Pour out any excess fat, and slice thinly to serve.
While meatloaf is baking, grate the peeled cucumber and squeeze out the excess liquid. Put in a mixing bowl and stir in remaining tzatziki ingredients. Put in a container and keep refrigerated until ready to use (I just returned it to the container the Greek yogurt came in). Serve with the gyros meatloaf in pita bread with lettuce, tomato, and red onion, if desired.
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