A vibrantly fresh Mediterranean gyro-style salad topped with a tangy tzatziki dressing that’s healthy and full of bright flavor!
Cause Mediterranean dishes are just as good in a bowl as they are stuffed in a pita!
What this Recipe Works
- More cucumber-y tasting cukes and no watery tzatziki! Thanks to salting the cucumbers ahead of time to get rid of any excess moisture.
- The answer to any leftover meat! No lamb? No problem! Can sub any other leftover meat you have on hand.
- Eat no more boring salads! Juicy lamb, crunchy pita chips and radishes, creamy feta, bright pickled onions and tangy tzatziki means our salad is absolutely packed with flavors and texture.
The salad is a Californian spin on the classic Greek lamb gyro.
What is a Gyro?
In Greek, the work gyro (pronounced YEE-roh) means “turn or revolution” and refers to the Greek dish made from meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. The meat is then served in a fluffy pita with a yogurt-based sauce, tomatoes and onions.
This salad is Gyro-inspired. We aren’t trying to home cook our meat on a rotisserie, and instead of stuffing the final dish in a pita, we are crisping up the pita chips in the oven and adding them to our salad!
What is Tzatziki?
Tzatziki is a sauce of Greek origin made from yogurt, garlic and cucumbers.
The tzatziki plays the role of our salad dressing.
Making lamb (or another large cut of meat) for dinner? Make a little extra and whip up this fresh salad with the leftovers!
How to Make this Salad
Plan ahead to cook that meat and make your picked onions! Salt your cucumbers. Wash your lettuce. Slice those radishes. Toast the pine nuts. Prep your herbs. Make the tzatziki. Shred the meat. Toss salad ingredients with tzatziki dressing and enjoy!
Cooks Tips
Cooks Tips- Don’t forget to salt the cucumbers! We want cucumber-y tasting cukes and no watery tzatziki.
- Source the very best meat you can find! Organic, grass-fed and as local as possible is the way to go.
- For best results, use full fat, Greek yogurt. If Greek yogurt is unavailable, let regular yogurt drain in a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth until thick and creamy, about an hour.
Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #chefdanielagerson. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Let's make waves in the kitchen!
Gyro Salad
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 3.5-4 lb lamb shoulder
- 1 head garlic halved, crosswise
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon crusehd red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest plus one 3x1" strip of zest
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
- 1 cup dry white wine
Pickled Onions
- 1 large red onion
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar can sub with white or champagne vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
Tzatziki
- 1 pound cucumbers ends removed and sliced lengthwise
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 large hanful dill finely minced
- 1 zest & juice lemon
Pita Chips
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pieces pita bread with or without pockets
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 6 heads little gem lettuce can sub romaine
- 1 bunch radishes thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pine nuts toasted
- 10.5 oz Greek feta
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh mint roughly torn or cut into a chiffonade
- 1-2 tabelsoon parskely chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Lamb
- Preheat oven to 300 F degress. With a sharp knife, score fat across the top of the lamb shoulder to create a crosshatch patter. Vut about 1/4" deep and space cuts about 3/4" apart. Season generously all over with salt and pepper.
- Combine greated garlic, oil, red pepper flakes, grated zest, and the tablespoon of rosemary in a small bowl. Rub all over lamb, working into score marks anywhere there is an opening.
- Place lamb in a large cast iron skillet or baking dish. Arrange garlic head, cut side down, around lamb and add strtip of zest. Pour in wine and voer tightly with foil. Roast until meat is falling of the bone and fork-tender, 5-51/2 hours. Keep covered and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Tear the lamb meat off the bones and set aside.
Pickled Onions
- Peel red onion, cut in half and slice thinly.
- Place onions in a medium mixing bowl.
- Heat vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small skillet over high heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, then pour over onions. Press onions down with a spoon until submerged and keep onions submerged in liquid. Allow to sit until onions are softened and liquid has cooled, about 25 minutes. Onions will keep indefinitely in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Tzatziki
- With a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds of the cucumbers. You should be left with a neat half moon shaoe. Slice them thin, no need for paper think so that they still have some crunch.
- Add the cucumbers to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Taste for acid and seasoning, cover and let sit in the regrigerator until ready to use. Leftover will keep for 3 days in the fridge.
Pita Chips
- Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Cut pita chips into wedges or tear up in pieces of similar size. In a bowl, season pita with cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss to coat evenly.
- Spread pita on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (or two). Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning half way through, until crisp and golden-brown.
- Transfer cooled pita chips to an airtight container. Store at room temperatue for 1-2 days.
Salad
- Toss little gems, shredded lamb, pita chips and radishes with tzadiki and arrange on platter. Top with pine nuts, pickled onions, feta and fresh herbs.
Notes
- Don’t forget to salt the cucumbers! We want cucumber-y tasting cukes and no watery tzatziki.
- Source the very best meat you can find! Organic, grass-fed and as local as possible is the way to go.
- For best results, use full fat, Greek yogurt. If Greek yogurt is unavailable, let regular yogurt drain in a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth until thick and creamy, about an hour.
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