Greek Gyros

I remember the first gyro I ever ate, and the best gyro I ever ate.

The earliest “gyros” I remember (in quotes because they were a not-completely-authentic copy of the real thing) were tasty, but a far cry from the best gyro I ever ate. When I was young and my mom and I went to the mall, we would often have lunch at a pseudo-Greek Michigan-based chain restaurant called Olga’s Kitchen. They call their gyros “Olgas” and over the years have developed a whole menu of not-gyro sandwiches wrapped in their signature flat bread. They’re known for their simple greek “Olga salad” and curly “Olga fries.” Clearly, it’s all about Olga. As a child, I had no idea that the sandwich I loved was imitation Greek food. Still, I like Olga’s to this day, and am never opposed to grabbing an “Original Olga” with its beef and lamb blend, onion and tomato slices, and cucumber-less “Olga sauce” when I’m in Michigan and the opportunity presents.

The best gyro I ever ate was – where else? – in Greece, in 2001. The second-to-last stop on my 10-country solo European backpacking adventure, which took me from London to Athens in just eight weeks was the Greek island of Corfu. Corfu, which is on the northwest coast of Greece, in the Ionian Sea, is quite different from the popular and recognizable Greek destination islands of Mykonos, Ios, and Santorini (known collectively as part of the 220-island group the Cyclades) on the southeastern coast, in the Aegean Sea. If you’re conjuring up visions of white terraced villages against the backdrop of a perfectly blue sky and sea, you’re off base. Corfu is mountainous, dotted with aging castle-like structures, peasants’ farms and its main port, the town of Corfu. I stayed at a hostel in Corfu, and spent a few days lying on the beach, motor-scootering over the steep and curving hill roads, and shopping in Corfu Town. One afternoon, I and a few other travelers from the hostel ordered gyros from a portside café and ate them at an outdoor table in the late summer sun. It’s unlikely that any gyro will ever be able to beat that one.

I’ve had a few great gyros in between, thanks to the Greektown neighborhoods of Detroit and Chicago. These days, I prefer to make my own at home. Obviously, I can’t spit-roast the traditional beef and lamb blend the restaurants use, but it’s not difficult to mix ground beef and lamb with onion and herbs at home, roast it in the oven, and get a delicious, more-than-adequate substitute.

My mom was actually the one who asked me for my gyro recipe, which is why I’m posting it here, but I have to tell you, it’s pretty standard. There are many good gyro recipes out there floating around on the web, most of them nearly identical to this one. The ingredients for the meat blend are always the same: lamb, beef, onion, garlic, oregano, marjoram, salt and pepper. If you’re one of those people who can’t bring yourself to eat baby sheep, then just use beef.

A tip: don’t use pocket pita bread for these. It’s too dry and doesn’t wrap well. Look for real pita bread, the kind that’s soft, moist, supple and doesn’t split into a pocket. Trader Joe’s sells a great Mediterranean flatbread that’s just about perfect. The Middle Eastern flatbread called lavash also works well. In a pinch, whole wheat tortillas will do.

This makes quite a bit of gyro meat – two pounds – so feel free to cut it in half if you’re not serving more than four people, or if you don’t want leftovers.

Greek Gyros

1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground sirloin (use lean beef because the lamb will be quite fatty)
1 medium onion, chopped until it’s almost a purée (a food processor works well for this)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
4 cloves garlic, pressed or smashed to a pulp
2 teaspoons kosher or fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For serving:
Pita bread or flatbread
Tzatziki sauce (recipe in this post) or plain Greek-style yogurt
Sliced tomato
Thinly sliced onion

Preheat the oven to 350° and line a sheet pan with foil.

In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, beef, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Separate into eight equal parts and shape each into a small log, about the size of a bratwurst.

Place the meat logs on the foil-lined sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to cool just slightly and cut into thin slices. Serve wrapped in pita or flatbread with garnishes.

Serves 6-8 people.

For the printable recipe, click here.

Enjoy!