Impress your Guests with Sliders

On Jul.10.12 , In Information, Recipe , by Paul Kirk

There is undeniable pleasure in a plain beef burger — juicy, tender, and well-browned over a backyard grill — but there’s even more enjoyment and flavor in a jazzed-up one. Try using new spices or different meats like lamb, duck, bison, chicken, or crab. You can even grind it at home using a grinder if you have one, or mince it in a food processor and continue by adding seasonings aggressively. Try the recipes below and you’ll be on your way to a summer full of great “small burgers” which are, in essence, sausages in burger form.



I entered a recipe for Australian ground lamb sliders in a contest last year and one of the individuals that did the follow up on the recipes asked me why I used sliders and not regular burgers. It was an easy answer: slider burgers, served on potato buns or dinner rolls, are a fun alternative to traditional-size hamburgers and that’s what backyard grilling is all about. You can impress your family and friends with some good food that is a little different than the main stream meal. If you’re a good burger griller, this is a no-brainer. It’s not really any more work and they cook faster. It also solves the problem when your Aunt Cora says that a large burger is too much for her to eat.

To really have a great outing that will impress your guests, grill up a variety of sliders. Some of my favorite sliders are not your everyday beef burger or sandwich, and you don’t have to use burger-shaped patties at all—they can be just small sandwiches.

Here are a few of my favorite slider recipes using bison, chicken, duck, lamb, and my favorite: crab.

Mini Bison Steak Burgers with Crispy Shallots

Crispy Shallots

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cups milk

Burgers

• 1 1/2 pounds ground bison patties (80/20), 2 ounces each

Toppings

• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 slices Camembert cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 12 mini potato buns (2-1/2 inch), split
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• 1 to 2 ounces arugula leaves
• 24 slices canned pear slices in light syrup, drained
• 4 ounces Steak Sauce of your choice

Soak the sliced shallots in milk for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Mix flour, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Drain the shallots, shaking off any excess milk, add shallots; toss to coat. Deep fry in 350º degrees F oil for 1 minute or until golden brown; drain.

Season bison patties with salt and pepper.

For each serving: Grill patties on medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or to medium (160º degrees F), or desired doneness.

Top each burger with 1 Camembert slice and 1/4 ounce Gorgonzola; cook 1 or 2 minutes or until cheeses are softened.

Meanwhile, brush cut sides of 3 buns evenly with butter; toast lightly on griddle.
Top bottom half of each bun with 3 to 4 arugula leaves, about 1 ounce pears, 1 burger, 1 tablespoon shallots and 1-1/2 teaspoons steak sauce. Cover with tops of buns.
Makes 12 sliders.

Grilled Herbed Mini Chicken Burgers

• 1 pound ground chicken, preferably boneless, skinless thighs
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 2 green onions, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Small hamburger buns or potato rolls

Preheat grill for medium heat.
Combine ground chicken, green onions, carrots, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper together in a large mixing bowl. Shape mixture into 6 to 8 patties and place on wax paper.

Mixture will be soft. Place patties on lightly oiled grill rack and allow to cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once. When juices run clear, remove from heat and place on burger buns with favorite condiments.

Grilling Chicken: The grill gives chicken a great flavor that you just can’t get any other way. The secret is to keep the natural fats from the chicken from causing flare-ups and to get the chicken cooked to perfection without drying it out. You can do this with a good marinade and a watchful eye.
Makes 6 to 8 mini burgers

Crab-meat Sliders

• 1/2 pound Dungeness crabs, shelled & cooked
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• Pinch of allspice
• Pinch of paprika
• Pinch of chili powder
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley leaves
• Non-stick cooking spray

Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl except the crab meat, then stir. Once combined, use kitchen gloves to add the crab meat to the bowl; then mix by hand. Shape into small patties, then refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Cook the patties: Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Cook each slider for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Serve: Place sliders on small chipotle rolls. Add tomato, red onions, romaine lettuce, and honey Dijon dressing.

Herbed Lamb Sliders with Spicy Eggplant and Basil-Mint Aioli

• 1 1/2 pounds ground Australian Leg of Lamb
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground rosemary
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Basil-Mint Aioli (recipe follows)
• 12 soft dinner rolls, dollar buns or potato rolls, split
• 12 slices spicy eggplant (recipe follows)
• 1/2 pound white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 plum tomatoes, sliced (optional)

Preheat the broiler, grill or skillet to medium hot.
In a bowl, combine the ground lamb, rosemary, shallot, salt and pepper and oil and blend well; form into 12 patties.

Grill, broil or fry 2 to 3 minutes, turn and cook another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes for medium rare.
Meanwhile, spread the bottom of the roll with aioli, prepared eggplant slice, tomato and top with lamb burger, cheese, and top with bun and serve with fries or rings.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat; add 6 patties and cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for 1 1/2 minutes more for medium-rare. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and patties.

Spread some mustard on the roll bottoms and arrange on a broiler pan; place a patty on each and top with the cheese. Melt the cheese under the broiler, about 30 seconds. Cover with the tomato slices and roll tops.
Makes 12 sliders.

Basil-Mint Aioli

• 3 large egg yolks
• 6 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 6 sprigs of mint leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon Juice
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• Dash cayenne
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grind black pepper

Mix yolks, garlic, basil, mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Blend for 3 minutes. Dribble oil in until it begins to thicken and incorporate; add the rest of the oil. Add in seasonings to taste. Finish with boiling water and refrigerate immediately.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Roast Duck Sliders

• 1-4 to 5 pound duck, fresh (or thawed if frozen), or duck breast
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled & halved
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 orange, washed & halved
• Some fresh sprigs of thyme, rosemary and sage
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black peppercorns
• 6 slider buns
• A bunch of fresh arugula
• Chutney
Preheat your oven to 300º F and get out a roasting or baking pan and a rack that fits inside it to keep the duck off the bottom of the pan and out of its own fat.

Rinse the little guy off and make sure you take out any innards. Then pat dry with paper towels.

Lightly oil the outside of the bird with some olive oil. Salt and pepper both the inside as well as the outside of the duck generously. Stuff with the onion, garlic, herbs, and orange and tie the legs together (it’s called Trussing).

If you’re using duck breast, cut a checkerboard pattern in the skin side just down to the meat, not into it. Oil both sides and season with salt and pepper. Grill skin side down over hot coals for 5 to 7 minutes turn and cook another 4 to 5 minutes to medium rare or to your desired doneness.

When the duck is cooked and you pull him out of the oven to sit, you can prepare your slider buns:

Toast the buns, on your BBQ grill, but if you don’t have one, you can broil them in the oven. For BBQ: Set the heat to medium and gently baste the insides of the buns with a little olive oil and place face down on the grill. Close the lid, but watch them! They burn quickly. Once toasted, remove to cool. If broiling, do the same; only lay them face up so the heat hits the insides of the buns.

Assemble the sliders, lay some arugula down, a decent amount of duck, and top with the chutney.
Makes 6 sliders.

An easy way to form sliders is to use an ice-cream scoop or just divide the ground meat into 2 ounce portions or meatballs, and place them on a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Cover the meatballs with another sheet of plastic wrap, and using a lid off of a large spice jar or pint jar, top and push down to form your sliders. If, after formed, they are too tall or small, wet your hands and press them out to the size you desire.

Grill over medium hot heat on a well-oiled grill so the sliders don’t stick. Grill to desired doneness and serve with the toppings you desire.

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