Gyros

Gyros--YUM! Over the years, I've tried home cooked versions, and while the bread and condiments hit the right buttons, the meat was never even close.

Enter Cook's Illustrated. Two summers ago the magazine showcased gyros made with seasoned ground meat cooked in patties. These are fantastic! The recipe is a bit of a production (no surprise for CI fans), but worth it when the craving must be satisfied. Besides, I usually prepare a triple batch so there are two meals waiting in the freezer.

Here is the ground beef (instead of lamb) variation (adapted slightly) from the July/August 2007 issue:

Homemade Gyros
puffy pocketless pita bread, 1 1/2 cups torn pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tsp dried oregano
6 cloves garlic, pressed
2 pounds ground beef, (I use 93/7 fat)
2-3 Tbsp oil (less if you use fattier beef)

For serving:
more pita
chopped cucumber
chopped sweet onion
chopped tomato
plain yogurt (preferably not non-fat)

Process pita pieces, onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic in food processor until smooth paste forms, about 30 seconds.
Transfer onion mixture to large bowl; add beef and gently mix with hands until thoroughly combined. Form meat mixture into small patties.
This is when I bag up the extra meat mixture for the freezer.
Cook patties in a frying pan, on the griddle, under the broiler, or (my preference) on the grill.
Warm pitas individually in the microwave or by wrapping a stack in foil and heating in the oven. Serve with condiments: cucumber, onion, tomato, and yogurt. I also like an extra sprinkle of salt on the meat.

I was in a hurry this weekend and ended up cooking a bagful of meat all together in a skillet, taco meat style. The kids thought it was great!

The patties can be chewy if the meat is overmixed, plus they can be tricky to divide among the pitas. The ground mixture was easier to serve and eat, and was certainly easier to prepare. I don't know if I'll ever make patties again!