Gyros - the real way

UMMMM Greek food. Apparently Gryos were invented in NYC not in Greece but either way I love them. I didn't realize that in reality this yummy sandwich type things are not made with a lamb leg, flank, etc. Rather they are made with ground meat. So, off I went to find ground lamb, bison, and pork...the combination I wanted to use to make my gyros.

I followed Alton Brown's cooking method found here. I also took ideas from this website, Serious Eats.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz Bison
• 4 oz pork
• 8 oz lamb
• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pat the meat pace into a loaf pan and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the meat loaf into a water bath and into the oven. Cook for about an hour or until the internal temp reaches 160-165 degrees.
3. Remove meat from the oven. Place a brick wrapped in tin foil on top of the meat and let it sit for 15-20 min or until the internal temp reaches 175 degrees.
4. Slice your meat nice and thin. Place on a grill or skillet to brown the edges of the meat.
5. Toss on a pita with Tzataiki, onions and tomatoes.

Makes 4 servings of meat. Calories per serving - 250

Meatballs

Knowing that I love to cook I decided to make Gyros. Of course, I ended up with way to much ground meat so I turned some of the leftovers into meatballs. These meatballs were so good and at only 40 calories a meatball they are pretty healthy as far as meatballs go.

I used Panko bread crumbs and had to add extra to absorb some of the liquid but I also blended some of the meat with the onions to make the meatballs hold together and prevent them from being mealy.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground meat (I used a combo of bison, pork, and lamb)
• 1 1/3 cups panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat onion to 325 degrees.
2. Blend 2/3 of the meat with the seasonings, eggs, and onion until a paste is made. Mix in the remaining ingredients and shape into balls. Place meatballs on a silpat or cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.
3. Serve with sauce or freeze for later use.
   

Makes about 30-35 meatballs (I made 33): calories per meatball - 40