Ingredients
- 1 (4 to 5-pound) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of visible fat
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into 20 slivers
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Essence, recipe follows
- 16 pita breads
- Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows
- Chopped tomatoes
Directions
With a sharp knife, make 20 slits across 1 side of the lamb and insert the garlic slivers. Place in a large non-reactive dish.
In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pour over the lamb and rub evenly across the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 and up to 6 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Season lightly on all sides with Essence. Brush a grill lightly with olive oil and preheat to medium heat.
Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for medium-rare, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the grill and transfer to a platter. Tent with foil and let rest for 12 minutes before carving.
Thinly slice the lamb and place the meat in the center of the pita breads. Top with Tzatziki Sauce and chopped tomatoes, and serve.
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
- 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.
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By xaemommy10
BILOXI, MS
on March 23, 2011
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I'm giving the 5 star rating to the tzatziki sauce.I was great for the spice-blackened steak gyros with pickled onions recipe i used. Search the recipe on this website its definetly worth trying!!
By daniellel02
Evanston, il
on February 05, 2011
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This was good but it didn't taste like "gyros". However, I was expecting it to taste like it tastes at most dives in America so who knows, maybe it is more authentic. The sauce was great and everything wrapped up in a tasty pita (we used naan, was yummy.
By lwyrick_11346808
cincinnati, OH
on August 18, 2010
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Nothing tops this one - a very country (of Greece-style, traditional preparation that could not be easier form the beginning to the end. I often just grill the lamb and serve it with pita or rice instead of doing the full gyro thing, but that's fantastic too. There's a lot of grilled lamb recipes out there - make this one, really, you won't want anything else.
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