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Yummy Gyros

Traditional Greek gyros (pronounced YEER-ohs) are made from minced lamb or beef that has been molded into a 20-pound cone and roasted on a spit. The meat is sliced, then wrapped in a pita with onions, tomatoes, and tzatziki, a cucumber sauce. Because roasting 20 pounds of meat isn't practical for most of us, we've come up with a scaled-down version that embraces the spirit of the dish.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pita bread, cut in half to form pockets
Lettuce
Tomato, sliced
Red onion, thinly sliced
Tzatziki
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and let it cool.
Add the lamb, lemon juice, oregano, rosemary, cumin, salt, and pepper to the onion mixture and mix well. Form the meat into 8 thin patties, each about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
Heat the remaining oil in the sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb patties and cook for about 5 minutes or until the juices run clear, flipping the patties halfway through.
Fill each pita pocket with a meat patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, tzatziki, and mint leaves, if desired. Makes 8 gyros.

Nutritional Information Per serving (2 patties): 614 Calories, 29g Protein (57% dv), 4g Carbohydrates (1% dv), 53g Fat (82% dv), 124mg Cholesterol (41% dv), 19g Saturated Fat 96% dv), 688mg Sodium 29% dv), 0.4g Fiber (2% dv), 1g Sugars
Percent daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.