Baked gyros with Metaxa sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g gyros meat
• 250 g mushrooms, fresh
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 package of long-life cream, 200 ml
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 tsp, leveled salt
• 1 tsp, crushed paprika powder, sweet
• 1 tsp sautéed oregano
• 1 pinch(s) of pepper
• 50 ml Metaxa (5 stars is enough)
• 200 g grated cheese (e.g. mozzarella or Emmental)
• 1 tbsp germ oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Sauce: In a large bowl, combine sour cream, tomato paste, salt, paprika, oregano, a generous pinch of pepper, and the long-life cream. Gently mix everything and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. The sauce should have a light orange color and be thick. In the meantime, clean and slice the mushrooms and preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) top and bottom heat (170°C fan-assisted). If you’re multitasking, you can also sear the marinated gyro with 1 tablespoon of germ oil. Of course, you can also marinate your own gyro meat and skip the pre-cooked gyro meat. If you’re not multitasking, just do this after cleaning the mushrooms. Transfer the cooked gyro to a medium-sized casserole dish. Don’t clean the pan! Now add the mushrooms to the same pan. Don’t add any more oil and sear the mushrooms as well. When the mushrooms are done (lightly browned on both sides), add them to the gyro meat. I personally leave them layered like this, but you can also mix the meat with the mushrooms. Don’t clean the pan! Now add the Metaxa to the hot pan. If you like flambéing, use 80 ml instead of the specified 50 ml and light the hot Metaxa. Be careful—the flame can be very high. Once the alcohol has burned off, add the sauce mix. For those who can do without fire in the kitchen, just add the 50 ml to the pan, heat it up, and then add the sauce mix to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium for a good 2-3 minutes. The color should now be a vibrant orange and the consistency noticeably thinner. Pour the sauce over the gyro and mushrooms, sprinkle with cheese, and place the dish in the oven for 15-20 minutes. This goes perfectly with fries or tomato rice. Bon Appétit