Confession time. I am currently obsessed with Sliders! I am not sure where it comes from honestly. But to me eating something tiny like a slider is WAY more enjoyable than eating one big burger or sandwich. I have made delicious meatball sliders found here, burger sliders and ham and swiss sliders. All 3 were awesome, particularly the last two which I found blog worthy. The burger sliders are best in my opinion when served with a side of perfect oven fries. The ham and swiss sliders are topped with a mustard poppy seed sauce and were served at my son’s first birthday party over the weekend. I LOVED them. These are definitely an ideal party food because you can assemble them in advance and then just pop them into the oven before serving. I have a feeling these will be on our menu a lot come football season! So slide, slide, slippity slide into your kitchen and make some.
The Perfect Sliders
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 Tbs. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
4 slices cheddar or Swiss cheese. quartered (optional)
12 slider buns, split (I found slider buns at the bread/bakery outlet and they also carry them at Cash & Carry)
Sliced tomato for serving
Sliced onion, for serving or you can grill them as we always do
Torn lettuce for serving
Sliced dill pickle for serving
Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard or other condiments of your choice for serving
Directions:
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 12 patties each 3⁄4 inch thick.
Grill the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by cutting into a hamburger near the center or testing with an instant-read thermometer. No pink should show on the inside, and the internal temperature should register at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. If making cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on top of each hamburger during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
During the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, toast the slider buns, cut side down, on the grill. Serve the hamburgers on the buns with tomato, white onion, lettuce, dill pickle and condiments.
Ham and Swiss Sliders
Ingredients:
For the sandwiches:
24 slider rolls (mini Hawaiian rolls are also recommended)
24 slices honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise
For the sauce:
1½ tbsp. yellow mustard
8 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. finely minced onion (or 2 tsp. dried minced onion)
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Split the slider rolls and spread the insides lightly with mayonnaise. Fold a slice of ham to fit on each slider bun, and top with a slice of Swiss cheese. Replace the top bun to assemble the sandwiches. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet.
To make the sauce, combine all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle the sauce over the tops of the slider buns. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake 2 minutes longer. Serve warm.
Baked Oven Fries:
Oven fries may seem like a simple side dish that just about anyone could whip up with no problem. At least for me, this was not always true. I have made baked oven fries many times in the past and they were always okay, but they weren’t “Oh my gosh, I love love love them” good. A large part of this was due to the fact that they had a mushy texture. If you’re aiming for a half decent substitute for real French fries, chances are you aren’t going for mushy.
I learned the trick of soaking your potato wedges in water before baking the fries and that definitely helped with the texture, but they still weren’t perfect. Well, leave it to the brilliant people of Cook’s Illustrated to perfect the technique because now I have the kind of baked oven fries that I’ve been searching for.
Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.
Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.
When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
