Quick Ham and Swiss Slider Recipe

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Ham and Swiss cheese sliders are a great answer to quick and easy meals to feed a family or for a tailgate or watch party. Most sliders require little preparation, just  a few easy steps to get your dinner or party started.

Get your equipment ready. You will need a baking sheet, bread knife, parchment paper or foil and a pastry brush to evenly spread the butter across the top of the buns before sprinkling the sesame seeds.

Anytime I begin cooking, I collect all ingredients needed for the finished product.

To make these Ham and Swiss cheese sliders, the ingredients include:

• Hawaiian sliders package of sweet rolls. These rolls make quick way to layer the ingredients. Other options include bags of freshly baked slider rolls, sliced in half and arrange in rows for easy assembly,
• One half pound of black forest ham, sliced thinly. You may also use any other preferred deli ham or leftover ham made for a meal or holiday dinner, thinly sliced (A mandolin works well for thinly slicing items at home),
• 7 ounces of deli sliced Swiss cheese, a good choice due to its creaminess and superior melting quality,
• Optional items of mayonnaise, pickles or mustard,
• Melted butter to give a glossy sheen to the tops of the rolls
• And sesame seeds for a mildly nutty taste and a delicate nearly invisible crunch to give a burger finish to rolls.

To make these sliders, use a bread knife to cut a package of Hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise, with one half as the bottom and the other half as the top of the sliders. Place the bottom half of the sliders on a parchment lined pan.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Layer ham on the bottom half of the buns, followed by the layer of Swiss cheese. Add any other toppings you may want such as pickles, mustard or mayo, as you won’t be able to add these items once the cheese melts.

Oil or butter the top to add one teaspoon sesame seeds to your sliders for the perfect burger finish. Bake for 20 minutes or so to melt the cheesy center. Cut into individual portions and place on a platter for serving.

Sliders can be made with a number of other options: pulled pork, sloppy joe seasoned beef with cheese, or Italian American favorites such as chicken parmesan or vegetarian eggplant parmesan. Beef can also be substituted with spicy or traditional fried chicken options paired with crunchy pickles and mayonnaise.

Cold options for sliders can also be made including chicken salad, egg salad or tuna salad. Other cold options include traditional Italian style submarine sandwich meats with lettuce, tomato, onion and a creamy dressing or a Sicilian style muffaletta with a variety of Italian style meats and cheese with a spicy muffaletta mixture.

Sliders were historically known as exclusively burgers, popularized by the White Castle chain of restaurants that serves the greasy, onion infused burgers by the millions. In the early 20^th century, an integral part of Americana included white, enamel coated greasy spoon diners, which populated America beginning in the 1920s. These restaurants were a reaction to the consumer sentiment caused by the concern over the exposure of sanitation conditions in America’s meat-packing industry, brought to light by Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle. These white-colored restaurants had gleaming white exteriors and interiors and employees in crisp white uniforms giving the impression of cleanliness and sanitation. The enamel was a clean, polished, modern look which was a part of the industrial aesthetic of the era, also popular in the stations of Standard Oil gas stations.

The industrial aesthetic in diners morphed into what is now seen as the aesthetic of midcentury retro diner chic. These diners were durable and easy to clean, giving them form and function in the era

Equipment:

Baking Sheet

Wustof Bread Knife

Parchment Paper