Lamb Shank Gyros 🐑

Growing up in Germany, I have enjoyed the Turkish influence and have eaten countless plates of Döner/Gyros (usually in the form of a Turkish Pizza) 😍

I love the lamb gyro meat so I thought I would give it a try at home, and I must say it did not disappoint and is a great way to incorporate some nose to tail cuts of meat/collagen into the diet by eating shanks rather than filet!

My guide to lamb can be found here!

I chose shanks because they create a yummy umami flavor when they are cooked long enough and the collagen and fat renders 😊

The key is to cook it with minimal liquid so that it remains crispy, but also to cook it long enough so that it falls off of the bone.

I cooked my shanks in a cast iron with salt, pepper and rosemary in ghee from Pure Indian Foods.

I heated up the ghee and let the shanks brown on each side before I set down the temperature to low and put on the lid, letting it cook for about 4 hours. I knew it was ready when I was able to remove the bone, and I basically shredded the meat and fried it in ghee to crisp it up again 💪🏻

I enjoyed the meat with curried cauliflower and some tapenade or butter, and while it wasn’t the Turkish pizza of my youth, the flavors of the crispy meat transported me back home to my local Dönerbude 😋

For those who want to make it more of a Turkish pizza, you could use a grain-free tortilla, sliced tomato, onion and cucumber and a raw feta cheese (if you tolerate dairy) to make a little wrap 🌮

Another classic combo is fries with gyros meat, which you could easily swap for these delicious carrot fries 🍟