Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground turkey
- 2 tsp za'atar herb blend
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 whole onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 whole lemon
Recipe Description
An authentic gyro is roasted in a vertical spit, but this crockpot version is a great homemade alternative to the real thing. I discovered this recipe through Pinterest at Rainy Day Gal. Her recipe is an adaptation of one by A Year of Slow Cooking. I couldn’t find ground lamb, so I used beef instead. I’m not sure what lamb would have been like, but it tasted great with the beef and turkey combination.
I used a Middle Eastern herb blend called Za’atar that my brother and his fiancee had given me for Christmas. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it. For those of you on Vancouver Island, you can find it at Hazelwood Herb Farm in Ladysmith BC. It’s a blend of sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, oregano, basil, summer savory, sweet marjoram, salt and lemon peel. It worked really well in the gyros, and it’s delicious in hummus too. If you can’t find Za’atar anywhere near you, here’s a link to make your own homemade Za’atar. Or you could just use oregano, as the original recipe calls for.
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