I know I’ve hit a winner dinner when a kid takes a bite and says, “OH! THIS is what I want for my birthday dinner!”

You see, birthday dinners in our house mean the birthday girl gets to pick the meal. We can go out or stay in, and if we stay in, the birthday girl chooses the meal.

At this point, Julia and Zayley have a few favorites on their short lists.

Zayley often chooses fettuccine alfredo with chicken.

Julia likes to pick something I’ve never made before. Many times she’s chosen things I’ve never even tasted before, like palak paneer, which involved spinach puree and cubes of a squeaky cheese.

I have made these meals and eaten these meals, but I honestly have no idea how they turned out.

But Pfeiffer is still feeling around in the dark for her favorite foods. One year, she wanted fondue. That’s all she told me: just “fondue.”

So I went to the store and loaded up on anything that seemed dippable: big pretzel sticks were a no-brainer because they would work with either chocolate or cheese. But after that, I wasn’t sure what to do.

Strawberries? February isn’t really the season for them, but we made it work.

What else?

We needed something with protein in it. I remember getting chicken nuggets.

Then we borrowed fancy fondue pots from a friend of mine, which I had no idea how to operate.

The chocolate seized up.

The cheese fondue recipe I tried was inexplicably far too thick for dipping.

Basically, it was a dismal failure. Thankfully, Pfeiffer – like the rest of us – had no idea what to expect, so she was thrilled.

Now that I think of it, maybe the statement “I want this for my birthday dinner!” is not the ringing endorsement I’ve always considered it to be.

Or maybe Pfeiffer is beginning to learn that she will be less disappointed if she has tasted the dish she’s requesting.

At least I hope that’s the case, because when I made this gyro meat, she decided immediately she wanted it again for her birthday.

That’s not the first time she has requested gyros for her birthday, but she made the earlier requests when we were eating gyros from a boxed kit out of the freezer section.

Seems like an easy option, except when you realize those boxed kits are only sold seasonally in my grocery store. And February isn’t the season for them.

So I was relieved when she told me this recipe is even better than a boxed kit. Ordinarily, I might not consider that high praise, but I’ve tried making gyro and gyro-esque meals many times before. I’ve always been disappointed.

But this one is worth the try, y’all.

COPYCAT GYRO MEAT

(adapted from Once Upon a Chef)

Note: The original recipe made two loaves of meat, each an even mixture of ground beef and ground lamb or ground beef and ground pork. I made an error and had to halve the recipe and use only ground beef, so that’s the recipe reflected below.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

For the wrap:
Naan or pita
Thinly sliced red onion
Thinly sliced tomato
Lettuce
Tzatziki sauce or whipped feta
Feta cheese

Directions:
■ Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
■ Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. (I use and recommend the extra-wide, nonstick foil, sometimes called grilling foil.) Place the ground meat, bread crumbs, and seasonings into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture reaches a paste consistency.
■ Dump the mixture onto the foil-lined pan and scrape any remaining meat mixture out of the processor using a silicone spatula.
■ Wash hands and leave them wet. Using damp hands, form the mixture into an oval shape about 1 inch tall.
■ Bake for 40-45 minutes. Internal temperature should reach 160 degrees. Remove meat from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes. (The meal can be prepped to this step a couple days in advance and allowed to rest, covered, in refrigerator until ready to serve.)
■ Cut into slices about 1/8 inch thick.
■ Heat slices through in an oiled skillet over medium heat, about a minute per side.
■ Serve slices wrapped in flat bread with your choice of toppings.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.

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