Grilled Lamb Stuffed Pitas (with Yogurt Sauce)
Description
I think I saw this on America’s Test Kitchen’s Instagram account, but then I sourced the recipe online at The Splendid Table. These were awesome, a little bit of work (but the filling is easily made ahead), but so worth it! My other thoughts are that tzatziki would go really well with these if you don’t have all of the sauce ingredients and next time I’ll use thicker pitas – enjoy!
Ingredients
Sauce
1 c. plain Greek yogurt AND 1/2 c. chopped fresh mint AND 1/2 t. salt
2 T. EACH lemon juice, tahini AND olive oil
Filling
1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks AND 1 c. cilantro leaves
1/4 c. olive oil AND 3 T. lemon juice (zest the lemons first!0
1 T. EACH lemon zest, coriander, cumin AND paprika
2 t. EACH kosher salt AND freshly ground pepper
1/4 t. EACH cayenne AND cinnamon
2 lbs. ground lamb
6 to 8 (8-inch) pitas – thick enough so that they can be easily split and still hold together with filling
Instructions
Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
For the filling, toss the onion and cilantro into your food processor and pulse a few times until finely chopped – scrape down the sides as needed. Transfer this mix to a large bowl, add in everything but the lamb and stir well to combine, then add in the lamb and do what you need to do to get it well mixed. I started with a sturdy spatula and ended with my hands. As an aside, I feel like this mix would also make amazing patties for lamb burgers!
Use kitchen shears to carefully cut around the edges of each pita so that you have almost 2 flaps – I found leaving the 2 sides connected helped. Divide the lamb mix into portions equal to your number of pita (I used 6), use a spatula to carefully spread across each pita leaving a 1/2-inch border, top each with it’s matching/connected pita half and then assertively press each pita ‘sandwich’ so that the filling moves closer to the edges and the pita is well stuck to the inside filling on both sides.
Wrap the prepped pitas well and refrigerate for an hour or so – this will help them hold together for grilling.
When you’re ready to get cooking, heat your grill to medium high and clean and oil the grate. We chose to use our regular gas grill hoping for more even heat. Place the sandwiches on the grill, cover the grill and leave them for 5 to 10 minutes until the edges start to crisp and the bottoms start to brown – adjust the heat as needed. Flip them all over, cover them up again and continue to cook until the filling is cooked through.
Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut into halves or quarters and serve with the sauce. These were also awesome with a quick pickled cucumber salad!
