I was not raised near a White Castle and as such, I have no particular ingrained love for the Slider. However, I have recently come to appreciate its burgery allure.
In its favor, it combines two of my all time favorite things: food and tiny stuff. The tinier the better. Seriously. I don’t know why but I’m a big burly man and I like my food cute.
In recent months there has been a Slider explosion among fancy Austin restaurants: Wink, Olivia, VinoVino, 219 West, they all have a version and the list keeps growing.
I just couldn’t take it any more. I had to throw my hat in the ring. A cookout party was on the horizon; I had just enough time to plan my Slidery strategy. I decided to go with a mixture of half beef (from Rasco Farm) and half Bison (from Thunderheart Farms). Since both were very lean I added a cup of some ground up home smoked bacon (uncooked of course). Then I tossed in an egg, a bit of milk soaked bread crumbs, some grated onion and garlic, a couple of anchovies (don’t think you can leave these out) and all of the proper seasonings and presto change-o, I had some badass mini-burgers.
Still on my New Mexico kick, I decided to top them with some roasted Hatch chilies balanced with some sweetly smooth caramelized onions. Add in some garlicky aioli and a slap of tangy mustard and adorable meets finger lickin’ mighty fast!
So if anybody wants to have a party in the near future and needs some hot Slider action I’ve got some ideas, just call.
L. Pants
Those sliders sound amazing. I like my food cute too.
Posted by: Jodi | Saturday, 14 February 2009 at 08:04
I noticed the slider phenomena myself. I figured there was a great deal from food vendors or something. Got to be high margin products.
Ivan
Posted by: Ivan Collins | Saturday, 14 February 2009 at 13:17
Looks like a work of art! I can see why it's popular. The chilies are a nice touch. Looks pretty manly to me, but I also like quiche :)
Posted by: Bryan - oz4caster | Saturday, 14 February 2009 at 14:59
Jodi, cute food is the best food.
Ivan, that could be it - smaller patties, smaller overhead?
Bryan, there is nothing effeminate about quiche!
Posted by: Boots in the Oven | Sunday, 15 February 2009 at 22:07
Yes I would say smaller patties Ivan x
Posted by: Kate Rees | Friday, 13 March 2009 at 00:32