Beef Gyros with Tzatziki

I can still remember the first time I had Greek food. I was probably around 10 years old and my mom, grandma and I were at the 5th Street Public Market in Eugene, Oregon. The three of us had never had Greek before, and on a whim we decided to try it. We decided to get one dish to split and decided on rice (I think it was spanakorizo) since it was probably a safe starter food. My grandmother grabbed what she THOUGHT was a grape garnish and after popping it in her mouth, spit it across the room. It was a kalamata olive, and like me, she isn’t an olive fan. It was a reaction seared in my brain; and when you see an olive fly that far, you don’t forget the experience!

I didn’t give Greek food a second try for MANY years after that. I never went as far as to say I didn’t like it. I just never had the opportunity to try it until after college. Since that day in the mid-1980s, I have found that I really enjoy many Greek dishes, particularly the flavors of Crete where I have spent a chunk of time.

You can say that my husband, daughter and I have fallen in love with Crete. We have made two trips now, and we love the culture, the views and the food (although, still not the olives!). Each time we have gone, we have stayed in Western Crete, not far from Chania. Each trip we stay in the same small village, at the same hotel and eat at the same favorite restaurants. When we get there, it feels like home.

One of the great things about the place we stay is that they offer a couple different breakfast buffets. There is the “European” buffet, where about 90-95% of guests go to nosh on eggs, sausages, pastries, etc. It is a HUGE spread catering to many tastes. There is also the Cretan buffet, where we go. It is such a great way to experience different Cretan foods, most from local producers. (Cretan honey is amazing, by the way!)

For dinner we would often go “off campus” to eat. The little town we stay in has a lot of options for such a small village and we always pick the ones that specialize in Cretan food. One is an amazing family-run fine dining restaurant that we visit 2-3 times per week when we are there. It is so amazing that we honestly go to Crete just to eat there, I joke you not. The other favorite is a mom and pop restaurant that specializes in local grilled meat and they literally feed you like family. I love their souvlaki!

We end up at a lot of sit down restaurants and tavernas while we are in Crete, however, there are a lot of great grab-and-go street food restaurants–think a brick and mortar food cart–serving up awesome food. While souvlaki is probably one of the most common on-the-go foods–because everything is more fun to eat on a stick!–gyros are probably the most famous.

Most people are familiar with gyros (although the name is often mispronounced). Greek Gyros at their simplest are basically grilled meat (chicken, lamb, pork, beef, veal or a mixture of any of these) on pita bread with tzatziki sauce. Some people add lettuce, fried potatoes and other garnishes. Personally, I like mine more Cretan-style with just tomatoes, onions, tzatziki and spices. (Although Cretan fries are A-MA-ZING!)

When you are in Greece, most restaurants serving gyros cook the meat on a large, vertical, conical rotisserie. It creates a meat that is crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. When you order, the preparer will shave the cooked bits off for your sandwich, allowing the next batch to keep cooking without missing a beat.

While we can’t practically make gyro meat on a conical rotisserie at home; we can still get the flavor experience by forming the meat into patties and cooking them in a frying pan. You will still get the crisp outside and the moist inside. That’s a very good thing, because all this talk of Crete has me missing the Greek islands and craving the food. I may have to start looking at flights for next summer…

Beef Gyros with Tzatziki

Recipe by Oven and Spice / Kacey BaxterCourse: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Greek, CretanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

Gyros are probably one of Greece’s most famous foods. Typically a street food, gyro meat (chicken, pork, veal, beef, lamb or a mixture) is cooked to perfection on a conical rotisserie then shaved off when ordered. The meat is served on a pita with tzatziki and garnishes that vary by island and shop. This recipe skips the rotisserie, but gets a similar flavor experience from pan-fried patties. The homemade tzatziki finishes the sandwich and immediately transports you to the Greek islands.

Ingredients

• Tzatziki

• 1 5.3 oz container plain Greek yogurt (or 1/2 cup)

• ½ cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and thin sliced

• ⅜ tsp salt

• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• ½ tsp dried dill

• Gyros

• 4 large pita breads

• 1 medium red onion, ½ rough chopped and ½ thin sliced

• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice

• ½ tsp table salt

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp dried oregano, plus extra for garnish

• 3 tsp garlic, minced

• 1/3 cup plain toasted bread crumbs

• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef

• 1 tbs vegetable oil

• 1 Roma tomato, sliced thin

• ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

Directions

• Tzatziki
• Combine cucumber, 1/8 teaspoon salt and lemon juice in a colander or sieve. Set over a bowl and allow to stand 30 minutes.
• In a bowl stir together yogurt, drained cucumber (toss the liquid), 1/4 teaspoon salt, garlic and dill. Cover with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Gyros
• Preheat oven to 350F. Stack pitas and tightly wrap with aluminum foil. When oven is hot, place on rack and bake for 10 minutes.
• Process chopped onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and breadcrumbs 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. Divide mixture into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls. Gently flatten balls into round disks, about 1/2 inch thick and 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add patties and cook until well browned and crust forms, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip patties, reduce heat to medium, and cook until well browned and crust forms on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer patties to paper towel-lined plate.
• Spread 3-4 tablespoons of tzatziki inside each pita, leaving about a 1″ border around bread. Divide meat evenly among pitas. Top each sandwich with tomato slices, sliced onion and 2 tablespoons Feta. Sprinkle on smoked paprika and dried oregano to taste. Wrap in aluminum foil. Serve immediately.

Notes

• For the tzatziki, I prefer English cucumber. It has less water and fewer seeds.
• I like to make the tzatziki as far ahead as possible to allow flavors to come together. Homemade tzatziki is super easy to make and delicious! However, if you prefer to use store bought tzatziki, I won’t judge!
• Greek pitas are thick and do not have a pocket. You can buy them at most well stocked supermarkets or big box stores. If you want more flavor than store-bought, I have included a link to my pita recipe. It is a pocket pita, which is more Arabic than Greek, but still just as delicious with gyros–I just ignore the pocket when building my sandwich.
• Recipe is adapted from one originally published in the July/August 2007 issue of Cooks Illustrated.