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lamb-shawarma

Shawarma is my favorite sandwich on Earth. It's a multi-dimensional experience. Meaty and deeply seasoned, saucy, and balanced by the light, crisp and acidic accoutrements. The challenge with shawarma is that it can be tough to recreate at home. Unless you’ve got a vertical rotisserie (I don’t), you’re missing the thing that makes it special: that slow-roasted, juicy-yet-crispy texture. To get as close as possible, I use a two-step method—hard sear on one side, then straight under the broiler. No stirring. Stirring releases moisture and kills the crisp. This way, you get one deeply golden, crispy side, while the other cooks just enough to stay juicy and tender. I serve it wrapped in markouk, layered with tahini, pomegranate molasses, fries, pickles, and a bright, sumac-heavy herb salad to lift everything up. Bonus points for dragging the bread through those lamb drippings and toasting it until crisp—because that’s where the magic really happens.

Ingredients