Say hello to my little frineds! SLIDERS

Invented by the American hamburger fast food chain White Castle, and now a restaurant phenomenon everywhere, sliders are quite simply mini-burgers. Smaller buns, smaller patty, smaller amount of toppings equaling huge flavor and huge fun.

Just as with hamburgers/cheeseburgers, the variety of sliders that can be made and enjoyed is endless. The key to making a great slider is simple. Choose small, soft rolls and stuff them with a juicy, well season, non overcooked burger. I have found that I am beginning to find "slider rolls" labeled as such at the grocery store, but if you can not find the, small soft white dinner rolls are a good option. in my neck of the woods, I prefer Martins Potato Rolls "for Sliders".

This past weekend we had company I wanted to make a dinner that was casual, could be made on the grill, and would be tasty! I've been enjoying using my meat grinding attachment on my stand mixer and I had some nice sirloin steaks that I thought would make good slider meat. Sirloin is leaner then chuck (90% as opposed to 80%), so I was conscious to only cook the sirloin sliders to medium/medium well, or pink as they say at some burger joints in order to retain the juiciness I was looking for. Chuck is probably the best meat to use for burgers, especially if you want it to be cooked all the way through and don;t mind the extra calories or fat.

My goal was to make a trio of sliders. For inspiration I drew on a couple of classics, in addition to using some more of my "Newfie screech coffee spice rub". What I came up with was a bacon cheeseburger slider, topped with sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, fried onions, ketchup, yellow mustard and dill pickle; a green chili sliders, topped with canned green chili's (diced and sauteed with fresh jalapeno, garlic and cilantro) and pepper jack cheese; and finally, a Newfie Screech coffee slider equipped with a drop of steak sauce and sauteed mushrooms deglazed with a drop of dark rum

 For my slider meal, I made 12 sliders out of a little more than 2 pounds of freshly ground sirloin. Each patty was about 3 ounces. For burgers I typically do not season the meat until I have formed the pattys, and usually I only add salt and pepper. I like to let the condiments and toppings bring the extra flavors. This is what I did for my sliders, with the exception of the the third slider, which received a liberal coating of the Newfie Screech coffee-spice rub on each side. For cooking the sliders, either pan fry them or cook them on a hot grill until desired doneness. As I said, for a leaner meat like sirloin (or if you are using buffalo or moose, etc) it's best to not cook past medium-well, while the fattier ground chuck will be more forgiving. I usually season the burgers, grill on the first side for about 4 minutes, flip, add the grated cheese and close the lid. By the time the cheese melts I remove the meat so that it can rest for a couple of minutes while I toast by buns. Then I assemble the works and dig in.

Steelhead Trout Burgers

Anyone who has ever gone trout fishing (or "troutin" as we say in Newfoundland) probably knows it doesn't get much better then having a shore lunch or breakfast at the cabin consisting of fresh trout (either whole or fillets) fried in bacon fat, served with bacon, fried potatoes and toast. Although a simple meal, it's hard to beat the combination of the smokey bacon, super fresh fish and savory potatoes. Recently I took this classic meal and did my best to turn it into a burger. What I have come up with is a steelhead trout burger served on a toasted potato roll, with lettuce, sliced tomato and crisp bacon strips. The kicker is a homemade peppery lemon-dill mayo.

With or without a food processor, preparing the fish couldn't be easier, and the mayo takes just a second to whip up. If you don't have fresh trout, salmon works equally well. Here's how I did it all.

Steelhead Trout Burgers

- 16-20oz fresh steelhead trout fillet (free of bones and skin removed)
Using a large knife, chop the fish into small pieces, about 1/2 inch, pieces (or pulse in a food processor, but don't overdo it, about 5-6 pulses).
In a large bowl, combine the chopped fish with the following:
- juice and zest of half a lemon
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill, minced
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs (such as panko)
- 1 egg, beaton
- splash of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/4 Tbsp fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt

Mix with hands and form into 4 burger patties. cover with wax paper and let set up in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, these may be grilled or broiled, but I gave mine a quick saute.

In a large non-stick fry pan, over a medium heat, add:

- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Once oil shimmers, add the 4 burgers. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes and flip, and continue to cook to desired doneness. Another 3 minutes should cook it all the way through., It's important not to overcook these so they retain their moistness. Season the top with a little more pepper.

Peppery Lemon-Dill Mayo

In a bowl, mix the following:
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 Tbsp dill, minced
- juice and zest of a lemon
- 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1/8 Tbsp kosher salt

While the burgers are setting up, prepare the toppings, by cooking some good quality bacon until crisp, and slicing a tomato, and chopping some lettuce. For the rolls I use potato bread hamburger buns (which I love by the way because they are high in protein and fiber, but taste like white bread), which I toast. To assemble, put a layer of of the mayo on the bottom, followed by lettuce, tomato and bacon., follewed by the burger and a dollop of the mayo.

This might be the best fish sandwich I've ever had!

Turkey Burgers

Grilling season is officially here! With Canada Day being tomorrow and the 4th of July being celebrated here in the US this weekend, I know I'll be firing up my grill more than a few times over the next few days. For me, the best grilled food to have around holidays such as these are burgers. Burgers are great when you are entertaining and do not want to be fussing too much on what to serve. They are easy to eat while enjoying the sunshine and holding a cold refreshment in your other hand. Above all else though, these taste friggin great! A good burger, can beat almost any meal. With tasty, fresh toppings, great cheese and bread, and you have one of the perfect foods.

While I plan to post many burger creations on this blog, I wanted to start with one of my favorites, and probably one many of you have never tried making...turkey burgers. I never had turkey burgers growing up, and in fact, only started making them a couple of years ago. These days ground turkey is readily available at markets (variety of leanness ratios too), and for me it's a great way to inject healthy variety into my menu and also cut back on my red meat intake. The turkey burger recipe I offer hear has a little kick to it. For the cheese I use a pepperjack cheese (Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno) paired with grilled poblano peppers and some salsa verde (a salsa made with tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and cilantro). Finally, I season the turkey with my homemade southwest rub/seasoning that I always have close at hand.

Southwest Turkey Burgers

2 lbs of ground turkey (93% lean is what I use)
1 Tbsp of Southwest seasoning (see earlier post)
1 Tbsp of olive oil
2 Tbsp of dry bread crumbs

Combine, but don't over mix the above ingredients. Divide into 4 half pound patties (more if you want smaller burgers). Try to form the patties so they are thinner at the center, as this will help the burger cook evenly and prevent it from swelling into a giant meatball on the grill. Season the outsides of the burgers with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Lay burgers on a hot grill, and close the lid. Cook on a high heat for about 5 minutes. Don't mess with the burgers until they release themselves from the grill. Once one side is nicely seared, flip to a previously unused part of the grill. Continue to cook for 3 minutes and then top with slices of your pepperjack cheese and close the cover so that the cheese melts. With a minute left, split and toast your rolls. I like to use a white Italian roll I get from a local bakery here near Albany, NY. Remove the burgers and go ahead and dress your bun while the patty rests for a couple of minutes.

As I mentioned above, I like to add salsa verde to the bottom, with a few dashes of good Mexican style hot sauce (Choula), next adding the cheese covered patty, followed by some thickly sliced, grilled (and peeled) poblano peppers.

Paired with a cold beer, this burger will be sure to satisfy your appetite this summer. I try and make turkey burgers of one form or another at least 2-3 times a month, as a quick workday supper that is inexpensive, healthy and quite tasty.