There’s a good reason why gyros are such a popular street food in Greece and all over the Mediterranean world: savory beef and lamb infused with herbs and onions and all cooked together, so the flavors really settle in – it’s just good stuff.
Except for the bun that it’s usually thrown on top of, you can just as easily replace that with a salad for a Paleo-friendly experience.
The prep process here does need you to pull out the food processor twice: blending the meat is how you get that trademark gyros texture.
Gyros meat is usually cooked on a big stick, like a rotisserie chicken but vertically instead of horizontally. Since most of us don’t have a whole rotisserie setup just hanging around, here it’s done in a loaf pan instead.
If lamb isn’t really your thing, and if you’re OK with eating veal, you could also replace the lamb with veal. There’s a whole debate over whether or not it’s actually possible to produce ethical veal – check it out before you decide, but if you aren’t convinced, then you could also just use 2 pounds of beef.
Any extra meat from this would be really great as leftovers for lunch the next day or put it in a Greek-inspired omelet if you don’t quite have enough to make a meal.
Gyro Salad Platter Recipe
SERVES: 4 PREP: 20 min + 1 h COOK: 1 h
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 1 tsp. ground dried rosemary
- 1 tsp. ground dried thyme
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad Ingredients
- 4 to 5 cups mixed salad greens
- 1 English cucumber, sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
Greek-Style Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil or homemade mayonnaise (use olive oil for egg-free)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Place the onion in a food processor, and process until finely chopped.
- Mix the onions with the ground lamb and beef.
- Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Place the meat mixture into a food processor and pulse until very well-blended and almost creamy. (you may want to do it in batches.)
- Scrape the mixture into a loaf pan. Place the loaf pan inside a bigger baking dish, and fill the bigger dish halfway with water.
- Bake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the inside is no longer pink.
- Remove the meat from the pan, and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and stir well.
- In a salad bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salad;
- Serve the gyro meat with the salad, and drizzle with the dressing.
📖 Recipe
Gyro Salad Platter Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 1 tsp. ground dried rosemary
- 1 tsp. ground dried thyme
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 to 5 cups mixed salad greens
- 1 English cucumber sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
- 1 cup olive oil or homemade mayonnaise use olive oil for egg-free
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the onion in a food processor, and process until finely chopped.
- Mix the onions with the ground lamb and beef.1 lb ground lamb, 1 onion, 1 lb ground beef
- Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste.2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. dried marjoram, 1 tsp. ground dried rosemary, 1 tsp. ground dried thyme, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp. dried oregano
- Mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Place the meat mixture into a food processor and pulse until very well-blended and almost creamy. (you may want to do it in batches.)
- Scrape the mixture into a loaf pan. Place the loaf pan inside a bigger baking dish, and fill the bigger dish halfway with water.
- Bake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the inside is no longer pink.
- Remove the meat from the pan, and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and stir well.2 garlic cloves, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup olive oil or homemade mayonnaise, 2 tsp. dried basil, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 2 tsp. dried oregano
- In a salad bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salad;1 English cucumber, ½ cup cherry tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, ¼ cup kalamata olives
- Serve the gyro meat with the salad, and drizzle with the dressing.4 to 5 cups mixed salad greens
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