Leftover Leg of Lamb ‘Gyros’

I’ll just say from the start, this is NOT authentic gyros, using spiced pressed meat that has been slow roasted on a spit.  

Here in Toronto we have some of the best Greek restaurants in North America.  And a good gyros is one of my summer faves to munch on as we walk along, people watching and window shopping.  One of my favourite gyros restaurants in the city even adds french fries right in with the meat and veggies before wrapping the pita around it all, making it even more of a feast!  Here is my favourite spot for a great gyros with Greek fries!

It is the fun of these wrapped Greek or Middle Eastern sandwiches that I am celebrating with this ‘recipe’!  First of all, if you’re at all like me, when you roast a leg of lamb, you usually have leftovers.  Somehow transforming those leftovers into an entirely new meal is far more appetizing than just setting out plates of the very same meal you have the evening before.  So today I am showing you what you can do with leftover roast lamb, like the Moroccan Boneless Leg of Lamb Roast I made just the other day.  For that matter, it would work equally well with leftover roast chicken, roast pork loin or even roast beef!

How to Turn Leftover Lamb Into ‘Gyros’

Like I mentioned at the outset, gyros (like shawarma or doner-kebab), is slow roasted, highly spiced meats, usually layers of beef and lamb, pressed together and threaded onto a vertical metal spit.  It turns slowly in front of the heat source, causing the outsides to get nice and crusty.  When ready, pieces are shaved off from the outside, and layered into a warmed pita or flat bread, and topped with crunchy fresh veg, and topped with either tzatziki, garlic sauce or other hot sauce.  When the pita is pressed firmly around the filling, you get the best mix of flavours and textures with each bite.

Obviously I don’t have a large spit here in my condo kitchen.  And while there are recipes out there for making gyros meat at home, today’s post is more about making most of the meat you already have in the fridge, and want to put to good use.

First thing you will do with the leftover roast meat, is slice it thinly into strips or lengths that will be easy to manage when wrapped up and eaten.  Toss the strips of meat in a small amount of oil, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, cumin and chilli flakes (these are optional) Warm a skillet (or your outdoor grill in the summer) over medium high heat.  You don’t need to cook the meat, it is already cooked. You just want to warm the meat through, getting the seasonings to flavour the meat, and softening it enough to bite into.  Once warmed through, drizzle with a splash of freshly squeezed lemon and it is ready to go be made into a sandwich.  If you want to do this outside on your grill, use a metal vegetable tray or basket that has been perforated with holes.  Use this to add the warmth and smokey nature of your grill to the meat.

What Do You Need for ‘Gyros’?

Obviously besides the meat and pita or flatbread, you want fresh vegetables.  In this case, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, red or white onions, and crispy lettuce are the classic options.  If you want to lean more Middle Eastern, then some pickled veg like beets, turnip, or even a vinegar based coleslaw are great options.  You could also have a bowl of tabbouleh to sprinkle over the meat, which just takes these to the next level! Have all your vegetables sliced, seasoned, and ready to go on a platter.  You will also want to warm the pita or flatbread so that they are pliable and won’t tear or break as you wrap them around the filling. 

Tzatziki is a given.  That amazing combo of garlic, tangy thick yogurt, lemon juice and the fresh presence of grated cucumber is a beautiful contrast to the warmth of the meat.  My recipe for Labneh Tzatziki means that you don’t need to start the day before with draining yogurt to thicken it up.  It is already done for you if you just pick up a container of plain labneh. You can make this in the morning and let it rest in the fridge to allow the flavours to meld.

But if you want to use hummus as well, go for it.  You have to try the hummus recipe on the blog, it is truly the best one I’ve ever come across, I can’t imagine ever needing a replacement for this recipe.  Along with hummus, feel free to use a garlic tahini sauce, or even a hot sauce.  Or just throw caution to the wind and use all of the above!!  What a party in your mouth!

Lamb ‘Gyros’ Bowl

Avoiding carbs these days?  Then why not turn all of the above into a ‘buddha’ bowl of sorts?!  Just take all of the above ingredients that appeal to you, and fill a bowl, topping it all with crumbled feta, kalamata olives, even pomegranate arils etc. You won’t miss the pita bread at all, I promise.  Or if you do want to add the pita, but don’t want to be holding it all in your hands, with the danger of all those juices dripping down your arms (these sammies can be quite messy, the more loaded the are!) just warm the pita, slice it into small triangles and use them to scoop up the tzatziki, hummus etc.

Here are the recipes you can access if you want to make everything at home: Yogurt Flatbread   Pork Souvlaki with Labneh Tzatziki   Moroccan Boneless Leg of Lamb    Citrus and Fennel Roast Pork Loin   Lebanese Spiced Chicken with Lebanese Coleslaw (Malfouf Salad)    Hummus Kawarma

Love Jen

5 from 2 votes

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Leftover Lamb 'Gyros'

Using leftover roast meat and warming it with herbs and seasonings means that the classic pita wrapped sandwich is just moments away. Adding all the fresh veg, tzatziki and next thing you know you have a tasty sandwich that is really a feast!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek, Middle Eastern

Keyword gyros, lamb, pita bread, roast pork, tzatziki

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

This is more of a method than an actual recipe

• 4 pita breads or flatbreads

Meat

• 1 2/3 cups or so of thinly sliced leftover roast lamb roast pork, roast chicken or roast beef
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh chopped oregano or 1/4 tsp dried
• 3/4 tsp fresh chopped thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
• 3/4 tsp fresh chopped rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• salt
• pepper
• lemon juice

Vegetables

• 1 large ripe tomato sliced
• 1 medium red onion sliced thinly
• 1/2 English cucumber sliced thinly
• 2 baby gems lettuces leaves separated

Tzatziki (made in advance and stored in the fridge; see Notes for Recipe link)

Instructions

Warm the pita bread or flatbread

1. Warm the oven to 350F. Take a large piece of parchment paper and run it under the tap to dampen all over. Scrunch it together to take the crispness out of the paper and then wring it to get rid of the excess water. Pile the breads on top of each other and wrap the pile of bread with the parchment paper all around them, tucking the ends under. Place this into the warmed oven and warm, letting the steam from the parchment warm the bread through. After 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven, the paper will be dry, but the breads will be nice and soft inside. Remove from the oven. Keep wrapped till ready to use.

'Gyros' the Meat

1. Meanwhile prepare the meat by tossing the sliced meat in a bowl with olive oil, fresh herbs, cumin, and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Toss to coat the meat well.
2. Warm a skillet (or your grill and a grilling tray or basket) over medium high heat. Add the meat and warm it through. You don't need to cook this meat, since it is already cooked. Rather you are really only warming it through and giving it the flavour of gyros meat. Remove to a plate and drizzle with fresh lemon juice from 1/4 lemon or so.
3. Have the tomato, onion, cucumber sliced up. You can season them with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
4. Have the Tzatziki sauce ready to go as well.

Assemble

1. Spread a little tzatziki all over the inside of the warmed pita bread. Layer some lettuce leaves down the middle of the pita bread. Then layer some of the meat, tomatoes, onion and cucumber over the meat. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and more tzatziki if you want. Wrap firmly and eat!

2. Feel free to use more than described above, or add other ingredients, such as listed below

Recipe Notes

Labneh Tzatziki, link here

Optional Additions
Hummus, link here
Malfouf Salad (Lebanese coleslaw), link here
Tabbouleh