Döner kebab, Suflaqe, Shwarama, Churrasco, Danar, or Gyro

Döner kebab, Suflaqe, Shwarama, Churrasco, Danar,  or Gyro...   So what’s with all the names?  This dish is made in many countries, and is called many different things. You can find variations of this dish in Greece, Iran, Turkey, Albania, Germany, France, Belgium, Afghanistan, Spain, Italy, and even Mexico city as a popular street chow.   The recipe varies slightly from region to region, and country to country, but it is essentially the same amazing sandwich. Although this takes a little time to prepare, this will provide you with several lunches.  This meatloaf is wonderful cold as well.  If you use quality ingredients and don't eat this with fries or other high fat sides, this sandwich is actually good for you.  Lots of veggies, good protein.  You can eat this relatively free of guilt.  This is not an original recipe but a conglomeration of a couple of different recipes.  

1 medium onion, finely chopped 

1 pound ground lamb 

1 pound ground beef 

1 Tbsp finely minced garlic 

1 Tbsp dried marjoram 

1 1/2  Tbsp rosemary 

1 Tbsp fresh mint 

2 tsp kosher salt 

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Put the onion into your food processor and pulse it about 10 times.  Pour the onions into a tea towel, gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice, or drink it if you REALLY, REALLY want to. Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, mint, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a bain marie or water bath (a water bath will help the loaf cook more evenly and gently) and 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.  Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped red onion, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese. 

Tzatziki Sauce 

16 ounces plain yogurt or Greek labneh 

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 

2 cloves garlic, finely minced 

Pinch kosher salt 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

6 mint leaves, finely minced   

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Or you can use a colander lined with cheese cloth.  If you can find the real greek yogurt, it has already thickened and you don't need to do this step.  Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. You can store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.