All the goodness of a French dip sandwich and a bowl of French onion soup are combined in these easy-to-make roast beef sliders.  Caramelized onions and gooey provolone make these little gems irresistible.  Dipped in a cup of warm au jus these little sandwiches will please any crowd.  Perfect for game day snacks or as an easy dinner for the family.  Make the rolls ahead of time and simply bake them off when your ready to serve.  So easy and delicious!

Last weekend we had our first real cold weather and about three inches of snow.  I love winter, but somehow we have not had fall yet.  The leaves are only about half turned and we have been enjoying beautiful mid 70 degree weather.  But suddenly there it was, so Sunday became a “stay in your jammies and cook something in the crock pot” kind of day.  I had located a beef roast in the freezer the day before and had the foresight to thaw it.  I used my fool proof method of cooking the perfect roast in the crock pot and added onions, carrots and fingerling potatoes.  With a quick gravy from the drippings we enjoyed a classic winter evening dinner.

Of course there was plenty of the roast left over, and at first I envisioned a simple repeat of the same dinner in the near future.  Then my mind wandered in a different direction.  I recalled what was probably the best French dip sandwich I had ever had, made with prime rib covered with horseradish on a crusty roll.  I realized that my roast would not reproduce this fantasy, so I determined it would need some cheese.  Looking at the beautiful liquid I had reserved from the roast, the random thought of French onion soup with that layer of melted gooey provolone came to mind, and I decided if I added caramelized onions that would just about cover all the bases.  So I ran to the market and picked up a package King’s Hawaiian, my go to slider rolls and I was set.  The sliders came together quite easily and they were more than delicious, definitely a hit, and I am most certain we will make these again.

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King's Hawaiian French Dip Sliders

Thinly slice roast beef, provolone cheese, and caramelized onions give these easy-to-make sliders all the great flavor of a french dip combined with french onion soup.  These make ahead sandwiches are perfect for a game day treat or an easy dinner.

Course Appetizer, Sandwiches

Cuisine American, French

Keyword French Dip Sliders, Game Day Treats

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 1 package Kings Hawaiian Savory Butter Rolls
• 2 medium sized onions sliced 1/4"
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 4 tablespoons butter divided
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 pound roast beef thinly sliced
• 1 pound provolone cheese thinly sliced
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• Peel onions and slice 1/4" thick.  Heat large pan over medium high heat.  Add olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter, when butter has melted add onions and toss to mix.  Season with salt and Italian herbs.  Cover for 5 minutes, then reduce head to medium low and continue to cook stirring often until onions become soft and translucent.  Remove lid and continue to cook until onions are caramelized.
• Transfer onions to a plate and allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a small bowl or ramekin mix mayonnaise and horse radish.
• Pour the beef stock into a small pan.  Add about a tablespoon of the cooked onions and any small bits from the roast beef.
  
• Heat the beef stock to a low simmer and hold. 
• Slice King's Hawaiian rolls in half keeping them intact. 
• Lightly butter the bottom of a 9" X 13" pan.  Place the bottom half of the rolls in the center of the pan.
• Spread half of the mayonnaise on the rolls, followed by half of the cheese.
• Using tongs dip the roast beef a few slices at a time in the stock then evenly arrange them over the cheese. 
• Spread the caramelized onions over the top of the beef, followed by the rest of the cheese.  Spread the remaining mayonnaise on the inside of the top and place on the sandwich.
• Heat oven to 350 F.  Cover the rolls loosely with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
• While rolls are in the oven, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave.  Add the Worcestershire sauce and a 1/2 teaspoon of Italian herbs.
• Pull the sliders from the oven and remove the foil.  Brush the tops with the butter and herb mixture and replace in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the tops are browned and the cheese is melted.
• Serve sliders with the warmed au jus for dipping! Simply delicious! 

Notes

I thinly sliced a left over portion of pot roast for these sandwiches, but you can certainly use deli meat.

 

Sliders can easily be made ahead of time and held in the fridge.  Allow to come to room temperature before baking.

Before you go……. if you love sliders like we do, be sure to give these a try!

Oktoberfest celebrates much more than just beer, it embraces the German culture and of course the delicious food.  Kartoffelsalat is one of the traditional dishes that I truly enjoy.  Properly prepared the texture and flavors are unparalleled to any mayonnaise based American salad I have had.  The recipe is rather quite simple with few ingredients making the potato the star of the dish.  So why not celebrate the season with a batch of Grußmutters salad, some sausages, and a stein of bier and relax and enjoy an easy old world dinner.

This past weekend we decided to take the train downtown and meet up with some friends at the Denver Oktoberfest.  It had been a number of years since we had attended and in anticipation of our trip to Munich next week to visit the mother of all Oktoberfest’s,  we thought it would be fun to check it out and really get in the spirit of things.  For some reason Denver Oktoberfest is one of the largest celebrations in the country hosting some 350,00 people over six days.  While these numbers are small compared to the real deal, that’s a lot of folks, and any time you throw that many people together with beer, music, and food…… well it is just bound to be a good time. 

People watching at any event of this size is always fun, and this festival seemed to have it all.  This evening also happened to coincide with the Great American Beer Festival, a Colorado Rockies Game, and a Tim Burton Nightmare before Christmas celebration.  So between people in lederhosen and dirndls, skeleton and ghoul costumes, Microbrew aficionados, and Rockies fans it was quite the mix.  We enjoyed “several” brews while we mingled and listened to a band or two, and also found the beer keg bowling quite entertaining.  We decided upon a vendor selling brats and weisswurst for a snack.  You don’t commonly see weißwüst, which is one of my favorites, so we grabbed one and enjoyed it in the beer tent.  I was a bit disappointed at the limited offerings of German food.  Of course there were giant soft pretzels and strudel, but other than that, brats were about it, and no kartoffelsalat to go with the sausages!  So there was only one thing to do, go home and make some.  So I did, and it was delicious!  Maybe next year I should get a booth……

Making the salad is really rather easy and requires very few ingredients.  One of the keys to an authentic dish is the preparation of the potatoes.  Normally you would peel, dice and boil, however traditional German salad requires a different approach.  The potatoes need to be boiled whole, then peeled and sliced.  This method creates a completely different texture to the potato which allows it to soak up the marinade giving the salad a deep rich flavor.

I use a stock pot and fill it two thirds of the way with water so the potatoes are well submerged.  Because of the length of time it takes to boil the spuds, quite a bit of water will evaporate so you need to start with plenty.  It can take anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes to boil the potatoes depending on their size.  The potatoes need to be cooked “fork tender” but I find a skewer is the best way to test the potatoes.  Whole potatoes hold quite a bit of heat, so make sure to let them cool until you can easily handle them.  Running them under cool water will speed up the process a bit.  Gently scraping the skin with a paring knife will remove it and it will often peel in rather large strips leaving the surface with the desired rough texture.

Allow the potatoes to soak up the marinade for at least an hour.  Drain any excess marinade off before adding the chives and salt and pepper.  Go easy on the salt as the vinegar tends to amplify the flavor.  The salad is traditionally served at room temperature or while slightly warm.  For an authentic German dinner serve the kartoffelsalat with some steamed wieners, a bit of mustard and horseradish and you are set.  That’s it!  So simple.

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Kartoffelsalat mit Speck – German Potato Salad

Traditional German potato salad with bacon recipe, just like Grußmutter used to make!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine German

Keyword German Potato Salad, Kartoffelsalat

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Marinate 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes boiled whole
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2-3 strips bacon small diced
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 bunch of chives chopped and garnish

Instructions

• Wash potatoes and place whole and unpeeled in a large pan of water. Boil until fork tender, 30 – 40 minutes, time will depend on size of potatoes.
• Drain potatoes and allow to cool until safe to handle. Peel boiled potatoes with a paring knife. Slice cooled potatoes in ¼ slices and place in a large heat resistant bowl.
• Cut the bacon into small cubes.
• Peel onion and finely dice.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add bacon and cook until beginning to crisp, then add onions and continue cooking until onions are translucent. Add broth and vinegar and stir, heat until mixture begins to bubble.
• Pour hot marinade over the potatoes and toss to mix. Allow the potato salad to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour to absorb the marinade. Strain off an excess marinade.
• Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
• Reserve some long chives for garnish, and cut the remainder into small pieces. Mix the chives in the salad and taste. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve salad at room temperature.

Notes

Cooking the potatoes whole and then peeling them is key to this dish.  It creates a different texture than the usual peel, cut, and boil that allows the marinade to absorb in to the potatoes. 

 

For a traditional German meal serve the room temperature salad with some steamed wieners or bratwurst, that's it!  Genießen!

Whenever we entertain a group of people at our house, I like to serve finger foods. Whether it’s for an afternoon cocktail party, a sporting event, movie night, or a holiday gathering, I find that our friends always enjoy being treated to appetizers.  Guests truly seem to love grazing on a spread of tasty dishes that require no silverware, grabbing another bite of this or that while keeping their hands free for the important things, like an icy cold adult beverage.

I had purchased a bag of tiny yellow potatoes with the intention of making a potato salad.  As I stared at the bag of small spuds on the counter, I kept wondering how could I do something different, instead of just another big bowl of salad that requires plates and forks.  Then it occurred to me to try using the same method as I would for deviled eggs, which are always a hit, why not make Deviled Potatoes?  Well they turned out fantastic, a huge hit, a virtual breakthrough in appetizers!  Potato salad as a finger food, now who would not like this?  While this will be a perfect game day treat, I can hardly wait for barbecue season to get underway.

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Deviled Potatoes

A cousin to the deviled egg, these bit size treats are filled with your favorite potato salad

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 pound tiny round potatoes not fingerlings
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 4 green onions
• 3 strips of bacon crisped & crumbled
• 1 jalapeno pepper finely diced (optional)
• 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water for about 12 minutes or until just tender, do not overcook (test with knife). Drain potatoes and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process (You want the potatoes to be cooked through but a little on the firm side). When cool cut potatoes in half with a sharp knife.
• Using a melon baller or small spoon, carefully scoop out the inside of the potatoes, like you would for potato skins. Be careful not to dig too deep. Place the scoopings in a mixing bowl large enough to prepare the filling.
• Slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolks and place them into a small mixing bowl or measuring cup (I mix the yolks in with my salad dressing, it makes it creamier).
• Dice the eggs whites, and thinly slice the white portion of the green onion (we will use the green part for garnish).
• Seed and finely dice the jalapeno.
• Add egg, onion, jalapeno, and crumbled bacon (reserve some for garnish) to the potatoes and toss well.
• Add the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and dry spices to the eggs yolks and mix into a creamy dressing. Add more mayo or vinegar as needed for consistency. Season with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, you can always add more after the salad is mixed).
• Pour the salad dressing over the potato mixture and toss well to coat.
• With a spoon or small knife, fill the potatoes as you would deviled eggs (It does not work very well to pipe these, the salad is a bit to chunky).
• Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Serve

• Garnish with remaining bacon crumbles, chives or thinly slice green onion, and a dusting of paprika or chili powder.

Notes

This is the recipe I made for a one pound bag of tiny potatoes which contained about fourteen or 28 halves.

Feel free to adapt this into your gangs favorite by adding any ingredients that you normally like to use in your potato salad.