I really enjoy a trio of sliders. They’re so easy to eat and they don’t overwhelm your appetite. However, I am often disappointed by the buns restaurants and bars use. They’re usually the generic fluffy bun, tasty and fresh, but I feel sliders are way more fun when served in between something more interesting. Hence today’s recipe, Tuscan sliders.
Tuscan sliders are made with oregano seasoned ground sirloin, placed on a bed of arugula, topped with pancetta and sun dried tomato sauce, in mini ciabatta rolls. They’re a flavorsome packed treat, perfect for sharing at parties. Or you can do what I do, and have a little party all of your own and feast on them by yourself.
I really love the tomato sauce in these sliders, I adapted the recipe from a recipe on seriouseats.com. I’m so happy I stumbled across it because tomato ketchup just wouldn’t make the same impact with these Tuscan sliders. It has a creamy mayo base, sun dried tomatoes and a generous dose of roasted garlic, prepare to lick your fingers, it’s yummy.
I prefer to cook these Tuscan sliders on the stove in a grill pan. You can cook them on the grill, but you will need to keep an eye on them to ensure they do not burn or break apart. I would suggest you cook them in a caste iron skillet on the grill, if you have one, and only if your grill gets nice and hot.
However you cook them, they will be a wonderful treat for you, your family and friends. Enjoy!
Tuscan Sliders
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 1 head garlic
- 2 tsp olive oil plus drizzle
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup hot boiled water
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Pinch kosher salt
Sliders Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sirloin
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano minced or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 6 mini ciabatta rolls
- 1 1/2 cups arugula
- 1/4 1 lb pancetta thinly sliced
Equipment and Utensils
- Blender
- Grill/Grill pan/caste iron pan on grill - dependent upon preference
Instructions
Tomato Sauce Directions
- Remove as much of the outer layers of the garlic that you can without breaking the whole garlic head apart.
- Cut the top off the garlic head revealing the flesh of each garlic clove.
- Drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake in a preheated oven at 400 for 30-40 minutes.
- Check garlic head and remove from oven when every garlic clove is soft and golden.
- Once garlic is completely roasted, remove from oven and allow to rest.
- While garlic is roasting, place tomatoes in a bowl and cover with water.
- Allow tomatoes to stand for 10 mins then drain, and pat dry with paper towel.
- Place tomatoes, mayo, olive oil in blender and then squeeze roasted garlic in on top, then add a pinch of salt to taste.
- Blend on medium setting, making sure to scrape in ingredients that collect on the sides.
- Once the blended ingredients are of uniform consistency, it's ready for use.
Sliders Directions
- Place ground sirloin in a bowl, carefully fork it out to separate.
- Add oregano and mix with fork carefully.
- Form meat into six small patties.
- Cook as desired, you will need a drizzle of oil to avoid sticking to grill or pan.
- Once patties are cooked, set aside and allow to rest for 3 minutes.
- While patties are resting, cut and lightly grill ciabatta rolls
- Spread a modest layer of tomato spread on the bottom of the ciabatta rolls, then place a generous helping of arugula on top.
- Place a patty on top of the arugula and then mount a slice or two of pancetta on top of the patty. Spread a generous helping of tomato sauce on the top halves of the ciabatta rolls, then place on top of pancetta.
- Serve immediately
