Gyro Dip

05bGyroDipbfLOI came across a recipe for a “Greek Layered Dip With Pita Chips” from Sandra Lee in Food Network Magazine, and knew it’d be perfect for a couple of gatherings we had going on over the weekend, but…

I wanted to make a few changes.

Ms. Lee called for using a pound of ground lamb cooked with garlic salt and pita bread split, then cut into wedges and toasted with olive oil spray and Greek seasoning – both fine ideas, but…

01aLambOlivesbfLOI had something a little bit better (and easier) in mind; pita chip crackers and, in place of ground lamb why not chopped slices of gyro meat?

02aHummusbfLOAnd, when I thought gyro meat, I immediately thought “Mama K’s!” – our favorite place for pizza, gyro salad, and Reuben sammiches. In truth, most everything else they make is probably excellent, but I am so taken with the pizza, gyros, and Reubens that I have a hard time even thinking about trying something new.

So, armed with the knowledge that Mama would make things better, I went ahead and ordered two pounds of sliced gyro meat and two containers of tzatziki sauce.

My only mistake.

03bGyroMeatbfLODon’t get me wrong, the dip, the meat, and the tzatziki were all excellent; I just ordered too much meat and mebbe too little tzatziki.

04bTzatzikibfLOThe original recipe called for one pound of ground lamb, so I opted for one pound of the gyro meat for each dip I planned on making. The image to the right shows about a half pound of the chopped meat arranged over 16 ounces of hummus in the bottom of an eleven inch pan – more than enough for a dip layer. So now, two gatherings (and dips) later, I still have a container in the fridge of Mama’s most excellent gyro meat and none of her tzatziki and I’m gonna need to improvise for a lunch or four.

But, enough about that, on to this really, really nice munchie…

INGREDIENTS
•1/2 lb sliced, chopped gyro meat
•16 oz hummus
•2 cups tzatziki sauce
•Iceberg lettuce, shredded
05aGyroDipbfLO•2 Roma tomatoes, diced
•Red onion, diced
•Kalamata olives, chopped
•4 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled
•Peperoncini, sliced
•Pita chips

Spread the hummus over the bottom of a large, shallow dish, then top with the chopped gyro meat.

Spread the tzatziki evenly over the meat, then top with the lettuce, onion, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and sliced peperoncini.

Serve at room temperature with pita chips.

Yum. Just, yum.

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