Sliders, mini-burgers, mini-sandwiches: what’s the beef (even if there is no beef)? I know, I know: I’m calling something a slider when it’s not, officially, a slider.
To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the term until very recently, when I started thinking about what to call today’s little rolls, so I’m claiming no authority on the matter. “Mini-burgers”, however, was never an option, because the word burger will, to me, always mean meat. “Mini-sandwiches” also didn’t work, being too dainty-sounding for what I was trying to name.
The term slider has, in fact, been around for a fair old while, and was coined in 1920s Wichita, Kansas, when a restaurant chain called White Castle opened its first shop selling five cent mini-burgers. At the time, public trust in ground beef was very low, following the publication of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which exposed the poor sanitation standards of the meatpacking industry, and White Castle’s idea of selling one- or two-bite mini-burgers for a few cents was a clever way of luring customers back. The gamble paid off, and how: public faith in ground beef was soon restored. The humble slider has been credited with kick-starting the US’s obsession with burgers ever since.
A true slider, made the White Castle way, is not just a small hamburger: it’s a very thin slip of beef, 5cm square, steam-grilled on a bed of onions with a pickle, which is then all piled on top of a patty. As for why it’s called a slider, some say it’s because of the way it slides across the griddle when steamed; others argue that it’s because of how easily one slides down the hatch.
It’s that second definition that appeals most to me, not just because it means you can eat a lot of them but, more interestingly, it gives you so much scope to play around with the bun and the filling.
Sweet potato rolls
The combination of sweet potato and the wet dough makes these little rolls pretty similar to brioche buns. If you plan to make them a day or two ahead, you’ll need to give them a light toasting before adding the filling and serving. Don’t worry about the number of rolls this makes: they are nice and small, so if need be you can eat a few and freeze the rest (once defrosted, they will also need a light toasting or warming through in the oven). Roast the sweet potatoes a day in advance, if you can. Makes 16 small rolls.
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 600g)
70ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
2 eggs, beaten in separate bowls
Salt
1 tbsp quick yeast (also called easy-bake, fast-action or instant; don’t use dried-active)
50g caster sugar
450g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp sesame seeds
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Put the sweet potatoes as they are, whole and unpeeled, on an oven tray and roast for about an hour, until completely soft and browned. Remove from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin. While the sweet potato flesh is still warm, put it in the middle of a clean piece of muslin or J-cloth and draw up the sides. Twist into a ball and squeeze out any liquid. You should be left with about 280g strained sweet potato flesh (if you have any extra, save it for a soup or stew). You can now set aside the sweet potato for up to 24 hours in the fridge.
When you’re ready to make the rolls, put the sweet potato in the bowl of a food mixer with the oil, one egg and a teaspoon of salt, and mix with a spatula until well combined. Put the bowl on the machine with the dough hook in place. Pour over 80ml warm water and mix on low speed to combine further, then add the yeast and sugar, beat on low speed to combine, then add the flour. Beat for about three minutes, then tip out into a large bowl that’s been lightly brushed with oil. At this stage, the dough will be quite wet. Cover with cling-film and set aside in a warm, draught-free spot for an hour or two, until doubled in size.
Turn out the dough on to a floured work surface and cut into 16 equal pieces (about 55g each). Knead each piece of dough into a little ball, dusting your hands with flour as you go, then transfer to oven trays lined with baking paper, spacing them 8cm apart. Loosely cover with oiled cling-film and leave to rise again in a warm spot for one to two hours, until doubled in size.
Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Brush the remaining beaten egg all over the tops and sides of the rolls, sprinkle over the sesame seeds, and bake for 15 minutes, until the rolls are golden on top and sound hollow when tapped on the base. Set aside to cool, then store in an airtight container for up to two days.
Cauliflower sliders with fried onions and creme fraiche
Cauliflower frittata topped with fried onions and served in a bun: that’s my kind of veggie burger. Makes 10.
For the cauliflower
1 small cauliflower, broken into 3-4cm florets
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
Salt and black pepper
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground cumin
6 eggs
160g double cream
15g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
2 tsp nigella seeds
To finish
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and cut into 0.5cm-thick slices
10 sweet potato rolls (see first recipe), or another similarly light bun
90g creme fraiche
25g rocket
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6, and lightly grease an 18cm x 23cm ceramic or glass baking dish with oil.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the cauliflower for five minutes, until the tip of a sharp knife goes in easily. Drain, refresh under cold water and leave to dry.
Heat the oil in a small saute pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the onion for six minutes, until soft. Add the spices, stir through for a minute, then leave to cool.
Whisk the eggs, cream, parsley and nigella seeds in a large bowl with a teaspoon and a quarter of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper. Add the cooled onion mix and the cauliflower, stir gently, then pour into the prepared dish and bake for 25 minutes, until the egg is cooked through. Remove from the oven and cut into 10 even squares.
While the frittata is cooking, fry the onions for the topping. Heat the oil in a large saute pan on a medium flame, then add the onions and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and fry for 20 minutes, stirring often, until dark golden brown and soft.
Cut each roll in half horizontally and spread a teaspoon of creme fraiche on the bottom half of each one. Top this with a little rocket and a square of the cauliflower frittata, spoon over some of the fried onion, put on the lid and serve.
Fish sliders
If you like fish finger sandwiches, let me introduce you to the grown-up version. Serves eight, as a snack.
600g white fish fillets (halibut or pollock, for instance), skinned and cut into 8 equal 75g pieces
1½ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp sweet paprika
3 tbsp olive oil
40g mayonnaise
1 tsp tarragon leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp chives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
8 sweet potato rolls (see first recipe), or another similarly light bun
2 beef tomatoes, cut into 8 even 1cm-thick discs
80g iceberg lettuce, torn into big pieces
80g good-quality tomato ketchup
Put the fish, cumin, coriander, paprika and a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl and mix to combine. Cover with cling-film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Before cooking the fish, get all the other ingredients ready.
Mix together the mayonnaise, tarragon and chives, and set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on a high flame. Once hot, lay in half the fish fillets, sprinkle over an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and sear for a minute or two on each side, until cooked. Remove and set aside, heat the last tablespoon of oil in the pan and cook the remaining four fish fillets. (You could, of course, cook all the fish at the same time in two pans.)
Cut each sweet potato roll in half horizontally, and spread the base of each with a little mayonnaise. Lay a slice of tomato on top and season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Put some lettuce on top and then a piece of fish. Finish with a good squirt of ketchup, pop on the lid, and serve.
• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.
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