关于此食谱

一道经典的希腊街头美食，在家就能制作——用香料调味的羊肉和牛肉混合物装进面包，烤至汁液丰富、焦香四溢，然后切成薄片，配上温热的皮塔饼、凉爽的酸奶黄瓜酱、脆爽蔬菜和鲜咸的羊乳酪享用。这种简便的做法省去了旋转烤架，改用标准烤箱面包技术，在无需特殊设备的情况下呈现地道风味。

步骤说明

1. 1

   Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a grater. Gather the grated cucumber in a clean kitchen shears towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible — this is key to a thick tzatziki, not a watery one.

2. 2

   In a mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, squeezed cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and kosher salt. Stir well, taste, and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 days) to let the flavors meld.

3. 3

   Preheat your oven to ![325°F]. Place the roughly chopped yellow onion and garlic cloves in a food processor and process until very finely minced, almost a paste, about 30–45 seconds. Transfer the onion-garlic mixture to a clean kitchen shears towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can — this prevents a soggy loaf.

4. 4

   Add the drained onion-garlic mixture back to the food processor along with the ground lamb, ground beef, oregano, rosemary, cumin, sweet paprika, cinnamon, kosher salt, and black pepper. Process for 60–90 seconds until the mixture becomes a very smooth, paste-like consistency. This is important — it gives gyro meat its characteristic dense, even texture rather than a crumbly meatloaf texture.

5. 5

   Transfer the meat mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape it into a tight log or oval loaf about 8–9 inches long and 4 inches wide. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and use your hands to compact and smooth it further. Unwrap and place it in a loaf pan, pressing it in firmly with no air gaps.

6. 6

   Bake at ![325°F] for 55–60 minutes, until the internal temperature reads %[165°F] on an meat thermometer. The loaf will have released some fat and juices — that's normal.

7. 7

   Remove the loaf from the loaf pan and place it on a cutting board. Place another cutting board or heavy pan on top and weigh it down for 5–10 minutes — this compresses the loaf for cleaner, thinner slices (mimicking the density of spit-roasted gyro meat).

8. 8

   Switch your oven to ^[broil on high]. Slice the pressed loaf into thin strips, about ¼-inch thick. Spread the slices in a single layer on a aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 4–5 inches from the heat for 2–3 minutes, until the edges are browned and slightly crispy. Watch closely — they can go from golden to burnt quickly.

9. 9

   Warm the pita bread directly over a gas flame for 30 seconds per side, in a dry skillet ^[over medium heat], or wrapped in a damp paper towel in the microwave for 20 seconds.

10. 10

    To assemble each gyro: spread a generous spoonful of tzatziki down the center of a warm pita bread. Layer on a handful of gyro meat slices, then top with sliced roma tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and crumbled feta cheese if using. Fold the pita bread around the filling and serve immediately.