The Best Ham and Cheese Sliders

Hello, welcome to Djalali Cooks! The upcoming Super Bowl has turned my attention to a Game Day recipe today. We will have a small group of family over for the game and while we will likely have a few of the usual suspects (I’m looking at you Hot Wings), I wanted to toss a new recipe in the mix. Something easy and unfussy, delicious and unexpected. So I came up with these Ham and Cheese Sliders. Store-bought brioche rolls, deli sliced Black Forest ham, gruyere cheese and caramelized onions, with a horseradish mayo – toasted to perfection. Let’s get right to it!

I have a package of 8 brioche rolls from my local grocery store bakery. Hawaiian rolls work just as well for these sliders. Scale this up as needed for your group. We just have a few folks, so 8 sliders plus other snacks will be the perfect amount.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or hold off on preheating if you plan to serve these later). Get the onion slices sautéing in a skillet with a little olive oil over medium heat. While those are going, we can make the horseradish mayo. I have 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon grated horseradish (not the cream-style kind) and 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard. Stir that together, taste and adjust the ratios to suit your taste.

Then I have about 2 cups of freshly grated gruyere cheese and about 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound of extra-thin deli sliced Black Forest ham. We will pour melted butter over the tops of the slides before they go into the oven. I happen to have some garlic and parsley compound butter to use for this, but you can just go with plain butter if you like, I have about 1/4 cup of that compound butter that I have melted in a saucepan over medium heat.

Brioche Rolls

The prepared sliders will bake on a quarter sheet pan, so I have very lightly oiled the sheet pan surface. Then, without breaking apart the rolls, use a long, serrated knife to slice through the rolls horizontally.

Place the bottom portion of the cut rolls on the sheet tray. Then spread the horseradish mayo on the cut surface of the rolls.

Now, pile the deli sliced ham on top of the mayo.

Now for the caramelized onions. When you cook the onions, you don’t have to let them go for an hour, just sauté the onion slices with a little olive oil, over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until they become translucent and begin to develop just a little color – about 15 minutes. Spread the cooked onions over the ham.

Grating the cheese will help it melt more easily and evenly. So now it’s time to pile on the cheese.

Place the top potion of the cut rolls on top of the cheese and then pour the melted butter over the rolls. Use a brush to help evenly coat the tops of the rolls with the butter. Sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you like.

Time to Bake (or Wait)

Now, cover the rolls with foil and at this point you can stop right here, place the rolls in the fridge and bake them about 20 minutes before you want to serve them. Or pop them in the oven now for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes baking, covered in the oven, remove the foil cover and let them bake an additional 5-7 minutes, until the tops of the rolls are toasted.

Out of the oven, let the rolls sit for a couple minutes. Then use a serrated knife to slice the rolls along the seams.

Serve The Best Ham and Cheese Sliders with sweet pickle chips. These are simple ham and cheese sandwiches – but made a little fancier with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and that tangy, savory horseradish mayo. Little bites of heaven. Even though I thought 8 might be enough for a few people, along with other game day snacks, I ought to make at least a dozen, because no one can have just one (or two!) of these delicious ham and cheese sliders.

I hope you give The Best Ham and Cheese Sliders a try this Sunday! They are a great addition to your game day spread. Are you hosting or attending a Super Bowl party? What so you plan to serve or bring? Let me know in the comments below! And if you need a few more ideas for your game day festivities, check out our Wing Showdown, or Easy Popcorn Chicken. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today, take care and be well!

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The Best Ham and Cheese Sliders

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Side Dish, appetizer, snack, main dish – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes – Total Time: ~40 Minutes

Simple ham and cheese sandwiches made a little fancier with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and tangy horseradish mayo - toasted to perfection!

Ingredients

• 1 Onion, sliced thinly
• Drizzle Olive Oil
• Horseradish Mayo
• 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp. Grated Horseradish (not cream-style)
• Sliders
• 1 package of 8 Brioche Rolls (or Hawaiian Rolls)
• 1/2 - 3/4 lb. Thinly Sliced Deli Ham
• Caramelized Onion
• 2 cups Grated Gruyere Cheese
• 1/4 cup Melted Butter
• Poppy Seeds or Sesame Seeds for sprinkling on top of rolls

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or hold off on preheating if you plan to serve these later).

2

Get the onion slices sautéing in a skillet with a little olive oil over low to medium heat. Let the onions get translucent and when they begin to develop a little browning, turn off the heat.

Make the Horseradish Mayo

3

Stir ingredients together in a small bowl, adjust ratios to suit your taste.

Sliders

4

Lightly oil the sheet pan surface.

5

Then, without breaking apart the rolls, use a long, serrated knife to slice through the rolls horizontally.

6

Place the bottom portion of the cut rolls on the sheet tray. Then spread the horseradish mayo on the cut surface of the rolls.

7

Now, pile the deli sliced ham on top of the mayo.

8

Spread the cooked onions over the ham.

9

Pile the grated cheese on top of the onions and ham.

10

Place the top potion of the cut rolls on top of the cheese and then pour the melted butter over the rolls. Use a brush to help evenly coat the tops of the rolls with the butter. Sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you like.

11

Now, cover the rolls with foil and at this point you can stop right here, place the rolls in the fridge and bake them about 20 minutes before you want to serve them. (they can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking) Or pop them in the oven now for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes baking, covered in the oven, remove the foil cover and let them bake an additional 5-7 minutes, until the tops of the rolls are toasted.

12

Out of the oven, let the rolls sit for a couple minutes. Then use a serrated knife to slice the rolls along the seams.

13

Serve with sweet or dill pickles.