Leg of Lamb Gyros {with lemon garlic aioli}

I have an unfortunate history of being pretty wasteful with food. The thoroughly embarrassed, defensive part of me assures you that anything not consumed is composted.  The authentic part of me, however, admits that most of this waste can usually be avoided.

When I’m browsing a market, I have to bring a list. And stick to it. If I don’t have a clear outline of what I need, I come home with bags of what I want.  Bags full of things I selected because they were on sale. Because they looked good. Or because I’m certain that the satisfaction I get from that pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is going to be worth the caloric indulgence.

And then there’s the whole being single factor which adds an even trickier dynamic to this whole scenario. I’m sure most of you are familiar with how difficult that it can be to cook for one person, as almost all recipes yield 6-8 servings.  And as good as that meatloaf is, I have no desire to eat it for 8 meals in a row.

The problem is bigger than spoiled food, though.  I also end up wasting an obscene amount of money. Being smart about food shopping takes serious strategizing, so lately I’ve been making a conscious effort to focus on ingredients that I can use in a variety of dishes… before they go bad.

I recently had a great friend come to visit who loves cooking as much as I do. So naturally after setting the date of her arrival, the primary topic of discussion was what we were going to make for dinner.  Kelly had a leg of lamb recipe she’d been wanting to try, which she marinated in rosemary, garlic, lemon, olive oil and pear slices (for tenderizing the roast…… who knew?).  It was out of this world!  Of course even though we both pride ourselves on our healthy appetites, we had our fair share of leftovers.  Not willing to let something so special and delicious go to waste, we decided to make lamb gyros for lunch the next day.

In the spirit of not being wasteful, I incorporated the leftover lemon and garlic aioli from the BLT scallop bites featured in last week’s blog post.  The aioli and lamb were meant for each other, giving me a new found appreciation for this sauce which pairs just as beautifully with seafood as it does with red meat.  Seriously though, I’m talking a perfect marriage of flavors……  like peanut butter and jelly, or even steak and potatoes.  We spread the aioli liberally over flat bread with sliced pimiento olives, mint, white onion, tomato and feta.

The result was out of this world.  But don’t take it from me… try it for yourself.

Happy Thursday, and bon appétit!

Leg of Lamb Gyros

Instructions:

Slices of cooked lamb (we used this awesome recipe)

6 flat breads (try to find ones that are soft and not too thick)

10 tbsp lemon garlic aioli (recipe found here)

1 sweet white onion, chopped

1 heirloom tomato

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Fresh mint (enough sprigs to provide 30+ leaves)

12-15 pimiento olives, sliced

2 tbsp butter

Directions:

Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet until melted.  Add the flat bread, heating in butter for about a minute on each side

Remove flat bread and spread 1-2 tablespoons of aioli over the top

Add a mixture of lamb slices, onion, tomato, feta, olives and mint over the top

**Makes 6 gyros