Superbowl Sliders!

Varying sources say different things about who invented them, but we do know Sliders have  been made famous by White Castle and Krystal.  Wikipedia says "A slider is a very small square hamburger patty sprinkled with diced onions and served on an equally small bun. According to the earliest citations, the name originated aboard U.S. Navy ships, due of the way greasy burgers slid across the galley grill while the ship pitched and rolled. Other versions claim the term "slider" originated from the hamburgers served by flight line galleys at military airfields, which were so greasy they slid right through you; or because their small size allows them to "slide" right down your throat in one or two bites."

You will find all kinds of recipes out there for sliders. They are fun to make and eat, and super adaptable. Nash could eat burgers everyday, and so could I for that matter. I got this recipe from my brother-in-law. We have kind of changed it up a bit to suit our prefrences, but the basic ingredients are beef, onion, pickle, & bun. The secret to these I think is baking them. Yep, you bake it on a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef (at least 80/20 or fattier)
1 packet onion soup mix
2 packages hot dog buns
cheese slices
pickle slices
Condiments
Shredded lettuce (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix onion soup mix and ground beef in a bowl. Press ground beef into a jelly roll pan (baking sheet with 1-inch deep sides). It should be pressed to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, without opening them, cut the hot dog buns in half. Then, slice just the ends off.  (*Optional: At this point, I lightly buttered the inside of each bun, and placed them, open faced on a cookie sheet. I broiled until lightly toasted, at the same time as when I returned the beef to melt the cheese.) Once your hamburger is cooked, remove from oven, drain the fat off and cover with cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted. Use a pizza cutter to slice the meat into small squares. Note that the meat will have shrunk up a bit when cooked.

To Assemble: Add your condiments to the bun, top with cooked beef, and a pickle slice. We used mayo and lettuce and we used Tillamook Cheddar slices. Different variations include: Using Hawaiian Sweet Rolls or any other type of small roll. You can also use fresh chopped onions mixed into the meat, or dried minced onion. If you use dried onion, sprinkle it on the baking sheet, then press the meat directly on top of it.

This post is linked up to the following:

  Tailgating Time @ Our Krazy Kitchen. Sundays at One Food Club @ Cocina Diary.Tasty Tuesday's @ 33 Shades of Green.Tasty Tuesdays@ Dr. Laura's Adventures.Tasty Tuesdays @ For The Love Of Blogs.