RecipeTin Eats x Good Food: Shredded lamb gyros

Name: RecipeTin Eats x Good Food: Shredded lamb gyros
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: (room temperature); 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 4 flatbreads/pita breads; 3 cups lettuce, finely shredded (cos, iceberg); 2 tomatoes, sliced or cut into thin wedges; ½ red onion, finely sliced; 1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise then on the diagonal

Nagi Maehashi

March 29, 2021

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourMakes:4

Pan-fried shredded lamb gives you the best of both worlds – golden crispy bits on the outside, meltingly tender and juicy meat on the inside. Stuff into pita bread with your favourite gyros fixings, including lashings of homemade tzatziki.

Ingredients

500g cooked pulled lamb meat (room temperature)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 flatbreads/pita breads
3 cups lettuce, finely shredded (cos, iceberg)
2 tomatoes, sliced or cut into thin wedges
½ red onion, finely sliced
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise then on the diagonal

Tzatziki

2 cups plain Greek-style yoghurt
2 cucumbers
¼ tsp salt to salt cucumber
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp garlic
¼-½ tsp salt
2 tbsp mint, finely chopped

Method

1. To make the tzatziki, place several layers of cheesecloth in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, pour yoghurt in and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, or until the yoghurt is thick enough so that it stays in a mound when dolloped. The thicker the yoghurt you start with, the less time you need to strain. There should be around 2-3 tablespoons of water in the bowl (whey).
2. Grate cucumbers and place in a bowl. Toss with salt and set aside. After 10 minutes, take handfuls of cucumber and gently squeeze out excess liquid.
3. Wipe out the bowl and return the cucumber, adding strained yoghurt and remaining ingredients. Mix well and set aside for at least 20 minutes before using.
4. To pan-fry pulled lamb, heat oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium-high heat. Add lamb, spreading out in a single layer.
5. Fry for 1½ minutes or until the underside is golden. Flip, then cook the other side for just 30 seconds to warm through, then remove from the frypan. You want some crispy bits while keeping the inside juicy and moist.
6. Preheat a dry skillet over high heat until very hot. Add pita bread and cook for 30 seconds until you get some dark brown spots on it. Flip and warm the other side for 30 seconds. Remove then repeat with remaining pita bread.
7. To assemble gyros, spread 2 tablespoons of tzatziki down the middle of each pita. Pile on lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber, top with lamb, then drizzle on more tzatziki.
8. Either roll up tightly, or fold the sides in to create a wrap. Use remaining tzatziki for dunking.
This recipe features in RecipeTin Eats' Greek-style feast