Roasted Lamb Gyro, Keto Style

Lamb gyros filled to the brim with fries, feta and tzatziki sauce

Something i learned, you really want to pulverize the meat here to extract the proteins. You know when this happens with the meat mixture becomes a sticky mess. This helps the protein really encapsulate the fat and water together.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 lb lamb, ground or roast bone in - at room temperature (at least 1 hour)

• 8 cloves of garlic divided

• 1 onion, diced and squeezed to remove juice

• 1 Tbs fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

• salt and pepper, plus paprika and any favorite spices, creole

Others recommended:

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 lemons, juice

• 1 Tbs fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried)

• 2 Tbs creole seasoning (onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt)

Condiments:

• 6 mini cauli pizzas as pita

• 8 oz feta cheese

• pickled red onions

• sliced cucumbers + radishes

HARISSA SPICED TZATZIKI

• 1 cup greek yogurt

• feta

• 1 Tbs lemon juice

• 2 tsp red wine vinegar (soak the cucumbers ahead of time)

• 1 Tbs olive oil

• 1 clove garlic minced or grated

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp dried dill or mint

• 2 Tbs harissa

• 1 med cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped finely

SEASONED FRIES

• butternut squash fries in air frier

• creole seasoning or paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.

3. Thinly slice 5 cloves garlic, mince the other 3 cloves. To the minced garlic, add oil, lemon and seasonings.

4. Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb and seasonings into a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Really pulverize the meat here!

5. To cook in the oven: Place the mixture into a loaf pan, inserting the thin garlic slices all over, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Push out any air pockets. Place the loaf pan into a water bath to cover the bottom of pan and cover w foil.

   1. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat.

   2. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Really wrap that loaf, and make sure it has something really heavy on top, encapsulating all the juices and making it really dense.

   3. Alternatively, can wrap into saran wrap, cool in fridge for an hour or overnight, and place on a rotisserie spicket.

6. While the lamb is roasting, make the harissa spiced Tzatziki. Chop and squeeze liquid out of the cucumbers. Strain the yogurt. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, oregano, garlic, harissa and pinch of salt and pepper. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

7. Meanwhile, make the fries. Combine the butternut or sweet potato fries in oil and paprika and salt, place in air frier until browned.

8. Once the lamb has rested 30 min under a brick, thinly slice the meat. Serve inside the warm pitas topped with fries, pickled red onions, radishes, cucumbers and feta cheese. Serve the harissa Tzatziki alongside the gyros. Enjoy!!