DIY Happy Hour: Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sliders with Caramelized Onions and Cambozola Cheese

On the rare occasion that I frequent happy hour I almost always order sliders.  I liken it to my eggs Benedict addiction: I thoughtfully peruse the menu, pick out something new and then, with Tourettes like force, "I'll have the eggs Benedict" spews from my mouth.  My husband just shakes his head, "I knew you couldn't do it". 

I am on a sick subconscious quest to find the best.

I have had some fabulous sliders but I must say that my husband and I believe that we have found the Holy Grail of sliders in our own kitchen.  So, maybe I am at least cured from one addiction.

Ingredients:

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Ground beef - 85/15 to keep it juicy! (Organic please)
Cambozola cheese- creamy like Brie but with the slight tang of Gorgonzola
Large sweet onion

 

The first thing you need to do is caramelize your onions because this takes a while and cannot be rushed.  One large onion is enough for eight sliders.  Heat a Tbs. of both butter and olive oil over medium low heat.  Slice onions into thin half moons and cook them low and slow.  This will take about ½ hour, but it is worth the wait.  Sometimes, I cheat and add a pinch of brown sugar.  This can be done in advance.

I like to flavor the meat with a little Worcestershire sauce but I wait to season them until after the patties are formed.  Important: Make your patties slightly larger than the diameter of the sweet rolls and create a sizeable divot in their center.  Also, make them fairly thin, a half-inch at most (because they plump when you cook 'em!) Failure to follow these guidelines will result in meatball sandwiches.  In the winter months we cook these on a griddle pan, unless the weather cooperates, which it did for this post!

After you have flipped your patties top them with a slice of Cambozola and cover them with a pan or foil (or close the lid on your grill) so the cheese melts.  At this point I also add the rolls to the grill, cut side down, to toast their edges and warm up.

Finally, the time has come to put it all together.  Top the patties with a heaping pile of caramelized onions and consume while hot.

Our DIY Happy Hour always includes Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Fries.  You bake them in the oven and they come out tasting crispy and fried.  Two dipping sauces we love are ketchup mixed with Tabasco and a little mayo and sweet chili sauce also mixed with a touch of mayo.

Enjoy with your favorite beverage; when not prego mine would be a dirty martini.

Linking to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land