Categories: Main Course
Ingredients
- For the meat:
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 onion, cut into 1-inch chunks, optional
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 slices beef bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- For the yogurt sauce:
- 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- To serve:
- 4 pieces soft, hand-pulled-style pita (not pocket pita)
- Chopped fresh tomato
- Finely sliced onion
- Hot sauce
- Lettuce
Directions
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Combine lamb, salt, pepper, and oregano in medium bowl. Mix with hands until homogeneous. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to over night. Meanwhile, place yogurt in fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl. Allow to drain in refrigerator for 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place cold mixture in bowl of food processor with onion, garlic, and bacon. Process until smooth puree is formed, scraping down sides with rubber spatula as necessary.
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Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. With moist hands, form meat mixture into rectangle about 1 1/2 inches high, 8-inches long, and 5-inches wide. Bake until center of loaf reads 155°F on an instant read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Allow loaf to rest at room temperature for fifteen minutes.
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Meanwhile, make sauce. Combine strained yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
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Adjust broiler rack to highest position (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches from broiler element) and preheat broiler. Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8th to 1/4-inch strips (each strip should be about 5-inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide). Lay strips on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil until edges are brown and crispy, about 6 minutes.
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Heat bread on oiled pan until lightly browned and slightly crisp, then flip and repeat.
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Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over each piece of bread. Divide meat evenly between sandwiches. Top as desired, wrap with foil, and serve.
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Use meat in a greek inspired salad for a healthy version w/ pita on the side.