Ham & Cheese Sliders

Pregnancy has done some seriously odd things to my taste buds. For starters, I can’t get enough of red meat these days (especially if beef comes in the form of a burger). I simply do not care for poultry much these days. I don’t hesitate to pass up a turkey sandwich for roast beef. And then there’s ham… my recent found pregnancy love. I’ve never disliked ham but certainly never craved it or really enjoyed it. But right now I can’t stop eating ham & cheese sandwiches. Typically, I eat my ham sandwiches with some thick cut quality cheddar. Then I suddenly remembered seeing this recipe on Annie’s Blog a few months ago and decided they’d make a great easy weeknight dinner for us (made a 1/2 batch although you scale down even further). Oh my goodness, hello deliciousness. We both fell in love with these!

I think the Hawaiian rolls are critical. You could certainly make these with other rolls or slider buns, but the sweetness of the Hawaiian rolls is just fantastic with the ham, swiss and mustard. I cut the butter significantly in the sauce because of the richness of the Hawaiian rolls, it was just too much for me but if you’re using regular rolls or slider buns, I’d recommend making as the original recipe calls for (8 Tbsp). I’ve included the weights of the ham and swiss that I used, but obviously thicker cut ham/swiss would require more to cover all the rolls, but I have our deli slice the meat at a “1″ and yield approximately these amounts.

These are incredibly easy and great for parties (like the upcoming Superbowl!). Definitely give them a try!

Ham & Swiss Sliders
Yields: 24 sliders

For the sandwiches:
24 Hawaiian rolls (or other rolls/slider buns)
24 slices ham (~1.25-1.5 lbs thinly sliced ham)
24 small slices Swiss cheese (~ 6-8 0z thinly sliced swiss)
Mayonnaise, if desired

For the sauce:
4 tsp yellow mustard
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Split the Hawaiian rolls and spread the insides lightly with mayonnaise, if desired.  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 loosely with foil and bake 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Remove the foil and bake 2 minutes longer.  Serve warm.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats, Originally from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Tagged as: Ham, Parties, Sandwich