Southwestern Sliders

Hamburgers are one of those things that will never allow me to give up beef completely. I’m a sucker for a good burger and love topping them or mixing various ingredients for new flavors. My only issue with hamburgers is that they can be too big, too obnoxiously done up with toppings and awkward to eat. My alternative? Sliders. They are the perfect size and much more my style… yet still capturing all the things I love about hamburgers. As an appetizer for our Memorial weekend menu, I prepared the following Southwestern sliders to go with our menu…

1 lb ground beef (80/20)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 stalks green onion, sliced (green part only)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
preferred small rolls of your choice, sliced crosswise (I used King’s Hawaiian Bread rolls)

In a large bowl, combine all spices together.

Add the ground beef, green onion and cheese into the bowl and gingerly mix in, making sure you don’t overwork the beef.

Form large meatballs of the beef mixture to create slider beef patties.

Place the patties on a hot grill, grill pan or griddle. If using a grill pan, place a grill press over the patties. Allow the patties to cook thoroughly on one side before flipping.

When patties are fully cooked (roughly 10 -12 minutes), place the patties inside each sliced roll.

Serve with your preferred toppings and condiments.