Lamb Pita Sandwiches with Tzatziki Sauce

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Seasoned Lamb Burgers stuffed in a pita along with homemade Tzatziki, feta cheese, lettuce, and red onions for a filling lunch or dinner.   This recipe originally published July 11, 2012.

Who knew it would be so hard to find ground lamb in my small town?  I love lamb but I can’t get it at very many restaurants around town.  There are one or two that have delicious lamb chops but I didn’t think I was ready to try that yet.   So far I’ve only worked with leg of lamb and ground lamb.

Usually I can find lamb around Easter so I stock up and freeze as much as I can.   This Easter I didn’t do that so I was stuck trying to find it in the store during the summer months.  Luckily I did find one store that carries it and says that it is now a regular item that they order in.

Several years ago I was unable to get it at any time other than Easter so I had asked the butcher at Martin’s if they would order me some.  I was assured at the meat counter they would and it would be in on Tuesday.  On Tuesday morning I stopped on my way to work and there was no ground lamb.  This went on for 4 weeks with me asking the meat counter every week to please order me some ground lamb.

On the fifth week when I walked into the meat department I asked yet again if they had any ground lamb.  The man looked at me and asked if I was the lady that kept coming in and asking for it.  I told him that I was and he led me over to where there were three package of ground lamb.  He handed me one but I quickly told him I wanted all three since it was so difficult to find it here.  He looked surprised but handed the packages over.

This is the same store that now carries it as a regular item.  Don’t think I haven’t been checking to make sure but in the last 4 weeks I’ve bought ground lamb twice and it’s been there both times so I think they’re telling me the truth.

I bought the lamb to make Lamb Pitas from Cook’s Illustrated.  As usual they didn’t disappoint.  Both Frank and I thought the lamb pitas were delicious.  The lamb patties were moist and packed with flavor.  The feta cheese added a nice bite to the pitas.  The Tzatziki sauce was cool and flavorful and paired perfectly with the lamb pitas.

This is a recipe that I’ve been making every few months for the last 8 years so you know it’s a keeper!

Lamb Pita Sandwiches with Tzatziki Sauce

5 from 10 votes

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Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

For Tzatziki Sauce:

• 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 t. fresh dill chopped
• 1 t. oregano

For the lamb patties:

• 4 8 inch pitas
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 lb. ground lamb

Toppings:

• 2 c. shredded iceberg lettuce
• 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 red onion thinly sliced

Instructions

• 1. In a small bowl combine the cucumber, salt, and lemon juice.  Put in a strainer over top of a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes.
• 2.  Discard the liquid from the cucumbers, then in a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt, cucumber mixture, garlic, black pepper, dill, and oregano.  Mix well and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• 3.  Cut off the top quarter of each pita.  Tear one of the quarters into 1 inch pieces and place in a food processor.  Add the onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic to the pita in the food processor.  Pule until a smooth paste forms.
• 4.  Put the onion mixture into a large bowl.  Add the ground lamb and mix until well combined.  Form the ground lamb mixture into 4 or 5 log shaped patties that will fit inside the pitas. 
• 5.  In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add in the ground lamb patties and cook for 4-5 minutes per side.  When the patties are cooked through remove from the pan to a paper towel on a plate.
• 6.  To assemble put 1/4 cup of Tzatziki sauce in each pita followed by a lamb patty.  Top with lettuce, feta cheese, and red onion.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated