Sliders and Homemade Tater Tots

Tonight was hamburger night at our house. I decided to switch up our routine and made sliders instead of full-sized hamburgers. Sliders are kid-friendly. Their small size makes burger night approachable and fun, and the kids can customize their own. I like serving our sliders on Hawaiian-style rolls, but I've seen slider-sized hamburger buns in my grocery store. Here is my recipe for my basic sliders, and a few of my favorite variations to jazz it up.

Basic Slider Patties
(makes about 18 burgers)

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground beef (80% beef, 20% fat)
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
2 Tbsp. Worchester sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper


Directions: Mix together all ingredients. Let rest on counter about 30 minutes to let meat come to roughly room temperature and the flavors to meld together. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium, medium-high heat until hot. Using a 2-ounce scoop, measure and form your sliders. I set them on waxed paper while the skillet is getting hot, and cook them in batches to not crowd the pan. If your cast-iron is well seasoned and your pan is hot, you shouldn't need to add any oil. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt in the bottom of the skillet before adding your first batch of patties. I usually let them cook a little longer on the first side to get a nice caramelized exterior, and then finish them quickly on side two. I like to add cheese at the very end and tent with foil so it melts. I serve these with lettuce and pickles, and a choice of mayo, ketchup, or mustard.

My sliders on Hawaiian butter rolls. I used pepper jack cheese on some, and cheddar on others. It's important to please everyone, especially when it comes to cheese!

Variations:
1. Replace onion with green onion and Worchester for Teriyaki sauce, and add a few teaspoons of sesame seeds. Serve with spicy mayo and pineapple. 
2. Omit the onion from the patties and use grill seasoning instead of just salt and pepper. Caramelize the onion until brown and sweet, deglaze with a bit of balsamic. Serve with the caramelized onions and a smoky cheese (cheddar or mozzarella), and a bit of steak sauce.
3. Replace beef with ground turkey. Top with salsa and avocado.

Check back soon for my recipe for homemade Tater Tots using a special green ingredient!

Part Two: Zucchini Tater Tots

My garden has been giving me a plethora of zucchini lately. We can't seem to eat it fast enough before more pop up. We've been making stuffed zucchini boats weekly, plus zucchini bread, but we still have zucchini coming out of our ears. I've been trying to make the zucchini we eat interesting and "picky-kid friendly", so serving sautéed zucchini night after night won't work in our house. Turning to Pinterest I've found some great recipes using zucchini, which got me inspired to create my own zucchini recipes. These zucchini potato tots are easy to make, plus they are baked, not fried. I used 1 huge zucchini out of my garden, but 2-3 grocery store sized zucchini would be equivalent.

Zucchini Tater Tots
(makes 3-4 dozen)

Ingredients:
2-3 medium sized zucchini

1 large russet potato

Large pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne or chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat your oven to 425, and spray 2 mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Using the grater attachment for your food processor or by hand, grate the zucchini and potato and add a large pinch of salt. Let sit 5 minutes, then drain well, squeezing through a kitchen dish towel. You might be surprised on how much water comes out! Mix zucchini and potato with the eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasoning until well combined. Spoon mixture into muffin tins and press in with your fingers. This would be a fun recipe to try with kids, because who doesn't like getting a little messy? Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned. Let cool slightly on paper towels, then serve with your favorite condiment. My kids like these with ketchup, I like adding a bit of Tabasco to mine.

Bread Made Easy

There is something about a freshly-baked, warm loaf of bread that reminds me of my childhood. Sometime in the '90s my dad received a bread machine for Christmas. Him or my grandmother used to make a fresh loaf of bread overnight or while we were away at school. On those days our house smelled amazing. I think my parents still have that bread machine somewhere, gathering dust. I enjoy baking for my family. I don't own a fancy mixer or a bread machine, but I can still make delicious bread from scratch. 
This week I adapted a recipe from one of my favorite recipe books to create a bread dough that can be made in bulk and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Refrigerator Bread Dough
Makes about 3 pounds of dough

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar 
2 cups warm water
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
4 Tbsp. melted butter
2 cups whole wheat flour
3-4 cups white bread flour

Directions: Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water together and let dissolve. Add the salt, beaten egg, and melted butter. Mix in the whole wheat flour and enough of the bread flour until it becomes hard to stir. Turn the dough out and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wash the bowl out and grease it and place the dough in the bowl, rolling it around. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour. Punch down the dough and recover with plastic wrap and a plate. Place in the refrigerator and pinch off the dough as you need it.




Day 1, Butter-top dinner rolls: I pinched off 8 2-ounce balls (I weighed them using my kitchen scale) and shaped them into dinner rolls and placed them into a buttered 8x8" Pyrex dish. I covered them with a clean towel and let double in size. I brushed the tops with some more melted butter and baked them at 425 for about 15 minutes.

 



Day 2, Sandwich bread: Now this isn't your average sandwich bread! I took an 8 ounce piece of refrigerated dough and rolled it out into an 18" log, folded it in half and gave it a twist. I dusted the top with a bit of flour and let double in size. I baked it at 425 for 15 minutes.

 

 



Day 2, Hamburger buns: I weighed out four 2 1/2 ounce balls of dough and rolled them into balls. I placed them on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart, covered and let rise until double in size. I put brushed a bit of egg wash on the top and sprinkled them with a combination of poppy and sesame seeds. Well, at least I sprinkled 3 of the 4 with seeds and left the last one naked for my step-daughter. I then baked them at 425 for about 15 minutes.

 





Day 3, Garlic knots: I weighed out the remaining dough into 1 1/2 ounce portions and rolled each piece into a log about 10 inches log. I then formed them into knots. I let them rise while I made a garlic infused butter. Basically I took half a stick of butter, 6 smashed garlic cloves, and a pinch of kosher salt and let sit over low heat for about 30 minutes. When the knots were doubled in size, I brushed them heavily with the garlic butter and sprinkled a bit of garlic powder and kosher salt onto each one, and (again) baked at 425 for 15 minutes.



As the dough sits in the fridge it develops a yeasty aroma, almost like a sourdough. Since I was making rolls for 5 everyday, the amount of dough this recipe makes didn't last a whole week. Next time I will experiment with doubling the recipe, or maybe switching it up a little. Stay tuned!

Beefy Zucchini Boats

Today I'm continuing to use vegetables from my garden to make dinner. My zucchini plant has become enormous! It has produced an almost-continuous supply of zucchini, so I've had to come up with some creative ways for my family to eat it. Most things are better when stuffed with meat and cheese, so that is where my Beefy Zucchini Boats came about. I made enough filling for 4 medium zucchinis (or 8 boats), although 1 boat per person was filling enough.

Beefy Zucchini Boats
Serves 8, or 4 very hungry adults

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-2 lb ground beef
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
4 medium zucchini, divided lengthwise
Shredded cheese (smoked mozzarella, monterey jack, or any other easily melting cheese that you prefer)

Directions: Turn on your oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with a greased piece of aluminum foil. Sauté the onion and peppers until softened. Add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up in the pan as you go. I had about 3/4 of a pound of 90:10 ground sirloin and about a pound of 80:20 chuck in my refrigerator, so that is what I used. Season the beef mixture with salt, pepper, cumin and smoked paprika and cook until deeply browned, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan. While the beef is cooking, divide your zucchinis lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh to make a trough for the filling. Generously fill the hollowed zucchini with the beef mixture. Shred up a bit of cheese to put on top. I had smoked mozzarella available, but any easily-melting flavorful cheese would work. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has started to brown on top.