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Simple Sliders
This summer I was visiting Newport, Rhode Island. Although we at seafood for nearly every meal, we decided to go to a burger joint one day. We had a variety of sliders and they were so incredibly delicious. We've been craving sliders every since, so I finally decided to make my own. Instead of putting crazy toppings on them, I did a classic, simple recipe topped with burger sauce, cheddar, and pickles. These tiny burgers are packed with flavor and are super easy to make. Plus - they're done in a cast iron pan rather than the grill, so you can have that "summer" meal you're craving all year long!
To give the patties a ton of flavor, I start by sautéing half a white onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil with a big pinch of salt. Once the onion starts to turn golden, remove from the heat.
While the onion is cooking, make the burger sauce. Combine 1/4 cup mayo with ketchup, pickle juice, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne.
Combine the cooked onion with a pound of 80/20 ground beef (80% lean, 20% fat). Add a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper, then gently fold everything together. It's important not to over mix to prevent the patties from getting too tough. Separate the mixture into 8 sections and flatten them into patties just slightly larger than the slider buns. The patties will shrink a bit as they cook.
Heat a cast iron skillet to high heat and drizzle in just a bit of olive oil. The patties have a good amount of fat in them that will melt out as they cook - no need to go overboard with the olive oil. Cook the patties for about 4 minutes per side until they are nice and caramelized.
Add a slice of cheddar cheese when you flip them so they it melts with the residual heat. Set the sliders on a paper-towel lined plate while you toast the buns, if you'd like. The sliders are so good they don't even need toasted bread, but it adds a nice touch!
Spread a bit of the burger sauce on each side of the buns, then build the sliders with lettuce and a pickle.
Recipe:
Total Time: 40 minutes| Serves: 2 (4 sliders each)
Ingredients:
1/2 a white onion, diced
4 tbs olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp plus 1 tsp plus 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 lbs ground beef, 80% lean
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbs ketchup
2 tsp pickle juice
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
8 slices cheddar cheese
8 sesame seed slider buns
16 pickle slices
Butter or leaf lettuce
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Saute the onion with 1/2 tsp of salt in the olive oil until it is translucent and slightly golden. Set aside to cool.
2. While the onion cools, combine the mayo, ketchup, pickle juice, smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. This is the burger sauce; set aside until the sliders are done.
3. Combine the ground beef, 1 tsp salt, and the sauteed onions. Mix everything together gently until combined, then divide the mixture into 8 equal sections. Shape each of the sections into patties slightly wider than the buns; they will shrink slightly as they cook.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet to high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Gently place the patties in the hot skillet and cook for just 3-4 minutes until they are nicely caramlized. Flip them over and top the cooked side with a slice of cheddar cheese. Cook the bottom side for another 3-4 minutes. Repeat this step until all the patties are cooked.
5. Toast the buns of you'd like, then top them with a spoonful of the burger sauce, some crisp lettuce, the patties, and 2 slices of pickles.