How to Build Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders
The components of these sliders are minimal and straightforward, but each serves a specific and delicious purpose:
Compound butter: This compound butter can be made with ingredients you likely already have in your fridge and pantry, and it takes these ham and cheese sliders from ordinary to superb. It not only flavors the sliders, it also helps them get perfectly golden brown and not dry.
Swiss cheese: There are lots of cheeses that’d work nicely here, from American and cheddar to gruyere. I’ve personally found that sliced Swiss cheese yields the best results—it’s mild and lets the ham and compound butter shine and it’s cost-efficient. There’s also a double layer of cheese in this recipe, which acts like glue to hold the ham perfectly in place once baked.Sliced deli ham: This recipe calls for thinly-sliced deli ham, but use whatever kind of ham you have access to. After a big holiday meal, these sliders would also be excellent with leftover thick-cut ham.Hawaiian slider rolls: Hawaiian rolls add just a touch of sweetness and they stay perfectly fluffy even when the compound butter turns the outsides nice and crisp. And yes, they’re also pretty fun to tear into when it comes time to separate them.
The Herbed Compound Butter is Key
The herbed compound butter is what turns this dish into something exceptional, and it’s incredibly easy to throw together. All you have to do is mash together softened butter, minced shallots, chopped parsley, and mustard until it becomes a homogenous, spreadable mixture. In my testing, I found that using room temperature butter over melted butter created a crispier, golden brown buns, whereas using melted butter made the sliders feel greasy.
Optional Add-Ins
Think of this recipe like a blank canvas that can be tweaked or finessed to your liking. There’s a whole world of toppings and add-ins. Here are just a couple of ideas:
To pack in a bit of heat, slather the inside of the buns with spicy mustard, and you can even sprinkle the ham with chopped pickled jalapeños for a spicy, vinegary bite.For added sweetness and acidity to cut through the rich compound butter, layer on sliced dill pickles.
Make Them Ahead
All you have to do is pop the sliders into the oven and bake them until they’re hot. The assembled sliders—through step 4—will keep in the fridge, covered, for 24 hours before they’ll start to get soggy. Bake the sliders for 3 to 4 additional minutes covered in foil when they’re cooked cold from the fridge.
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons minced shallots 2 teaspoons chopped parsley 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sliders
1 (12-count package) Hawaiian slider rolls 1/2 pound sliced Swiss cheese, about 12 slices 1/2 pound thin-sliced deli ham
Use a spoon or butter knife to smear the softened compound butter all over the tops of the sliders. After 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes or until the tops of the sliders are crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Reheat each sliders in the microwave for 30 seconds—add 15 seconds for each additional slider. To reheat in the oven, bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350°F, or until the cheese has melted and the sliders are crisp and heated through. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!
