Monday, January 9, 2012

Turkey Style Gyro Sandwiches with Tzakziki Sauce


I love gyros, they are one of my favorite foods. I remember the first time I had a gyro was at a city festival where food vendors were selling their foods. Mike and I had never had a gyro before and not sure if we had even heard of this type of sandwich before. But we decided to try them and we both fell in love with the gyro.

Once in a while we will buy a gyro kit and have our gyro that way. The kits aren't too bad and the gyros that they produce are quite tasty. But since I made pita bread, which I posted in my last post I thought I would try to make my own gyro. I could not find any lamb in the grocery store so I settled for ground turkey.

I had looked at different recipes to find out what would be the best spices and herbs to add to the meat and I finally decided that Rosemary was the way to go plus some salt and pepper. Also I want to have the Tzatziki sauce with this. I think that this sauce is what brings a gyro all together.

So I hope you will try this gyro, I am sure it is not the traditional way of making it, but the flavors were delicious. Plus it was easy and fast. You can make your own pita or you can buy them either way it will work.


Turkey Style Gyro Sandwiches with Tzakziki Sauce

Turkey Filling For Gyro

1 lb of ground turkey
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet put in ground turkey, minced garlic, and rosemary. Brown the turkey until well done.

As the meat cooks make Tzatziki sauce for your gyros

Tzatziki (Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary)
Makes 2 cups
A cool companion for fried food and a fine dip on its own.
Stir together:
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

Note: I used dill weed, since I did not have dill on hand. I did not have fresh mint on hand, so I found on the Internet that you could use mint extract as a substitute. I used a 1/4 teaspoon in place of the fresh mint.





13 comments:

  1. Looks like a great sandwich! I make something similar but to the meat I add lots of curry powder, a touch of allspice and a sprinkle or two of cinnamon.... sounds weird, I know. But somehow, it works. Your tzatziki sounds great!!

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  2. I've never head of a gyro before but this looks very tasty!!!

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  3. When I finally make homemade pitas, I will make these delicious looking gyros...YUM!

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  4. Thanks for visiting my site and the nice comment! Your site looks great, I can't wait to check out some of your recipes.

    What a yummy looking gyro, veggie gyros are one of my favorites, although I've never been very good at making them at home. I will have to try your pita and tzatziki recipe soon, they look so delicious :)

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  5. Nice job. What a great meal to use the pitas!

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  6. I like gyros and yours looks very inviting.
    Thank You.

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  7. I have a sudden craving for a gyro. It looks really tasty!

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  8. I would actually love to try making gyros. They were a special treat when I was growing up. We only got them a couple times a year.

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  9. This sounds yummy and the Tzatziki sauce sounds perfect. Glad to see you are using your pitas!

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  10. Tzatziki sauce is just perfect paired with the turkey gyro. Great meal!
    Hope you are having a great day :-)

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