My heritage is Greek, and in 2006 I was fortunate to spend ten glorious days island-hopping with my aunt. She spoke and understood Greek, so we had no trouble navigating markets and ordering food. I still remember my first gyros on the island of Syros — it was all kinds of amazing.
One detail that stood out was the inclusion of chips inside the gyros. Greeks have a well-known love of chips — my yia-yia (grandmother) always made her own chips to serve with steak and salad whenever I visited. I’ve recreated that Syros-style lamb gyros at home, and each bite brings those memories flooding back.
Gyros is a Greek classic: pile warm pita breads with your fillings, fold them over, and enjoy a superb blend of textures and flavors.
Ingredients
4 pita breads
500 g lamb leg steak, cut into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Greek seasoning
100 g tzatziki
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 white onion, thinly sliced
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
Oven-baked chips
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. While the pan warms, toss the lamb strips with the Greek seasoning so they’re evenly coated. Add the seasoned lamb to the hot pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through.
2. Gently warm the pita breads in a clean frying pan or briefly in the microwave until they are just soft and pliable. Fill each pita with lamb, a dollop of tzatziki, sliced tomato, onion, shredded lettuce, and a handful of oven-baked chips.
Fold the pita over to enclose the fillings and enjoy immediately.
Serves 4
