Here some knockout ham and cheese sliders that have been German-approved: adding bratwurst, sauerkraut and pickles for a winning combo for your next sports watch party.
Also try my homemade pretzels and Obatzda cheese spread if you're looking for amazing German snackable foods!
Super Bowl to me in he past was always ALL about the food (okay, I do think some of the ads are funny and the half time show is usually pretty entertaining as well), but then recently the Chiefs started playing way too well and have now ended up in the Super Bowl for the third time in the last 4 years! It's maybe time to ALSO pay attention to the game.
But back to the food because it's obviously still a very important component to a good Super Bowl gathering. At the last Chiefs game, I got to devour the classic version of this ham and cheese baked slider recipe, which really only piles up ham and melty cheese in between a halved slab of soft, Hawaiian rolls. And then you get that oozy, buttery topping, which is where I fell in love.
What Do I Need?
That night, an idea for a German-style ham and cheese slider was born in my head. What if I add some crumbled, browned Bratwurst, subbed the standard 'Swiss' cheese for a Gouda-Gruyère mix, the Dijon mustard for German-style mustard, threw in some Sauerkraut and finally some pickles?
Would that make it feel more German? Would that satisfy my readers' cravings? I'd say yes! And after making them and tasting them, and going back to taste them again (I had to confirm?), I can with certainty say that these will be extremely popular at your Super Bowl watch party (party of 2 or however many you are)!
So go ahead, make a batch of these. If you're in Germany, you can sub the Hawaiian rolls for Brioche or Milchbrötchen and they should taste just as great! And finally, don't forget to make a batch of the Chiefs Cherry Cosmos and have them ready to shake up for the game!
Chiefs Cosmo
The Chiefs playing in the Super Bowl inspired this super delicious red drink with a gold rim! However, if a Cosmo was German, he'd sure dress up as this Kirsch version. I uses tart cherry juice instead of cranberry juice and a quick, homemade lemon and rosemary syrup instead of the orange liqueur. Finally, it's shaken to perfection with the smooth, elegant, Siberian vodka by Mamont.
Make the lemon rosemary simple syrup, combine 5 oz (150 ml) of filtered water with 1.5 c (300 g) of sugar and bring to a soft boil. Add one twig of rosemary and 1 long piece of lemon peel (try to remove as much of the pith as possible to avoid a bitter taste). Stir vigorously for 3 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
To make the Kirsch Cosmo, shake together the following ingredients with some ice, then pour into a martini glass:
- 1.6 oz (40 ml) Mamont vodka
- .4 oz (10 ml) dry vermouth
- .8 oz (20 ml) unsweetened, tart cherry juice
- .4 oz (10 ml) fresh lime juice
- .5 oz (12 ml) lemon rosemary syrup
- orange peel for garnish
These are perfect made in a large batch ahead of time. I usually make 10 and fill them into a reusable liter bottle. To find out where Mamont vodka is available in your area, fill out the short product finder form.
German-Style Ham And Cheese Sliders
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian-style rolls If you're in Germany and don't have access to these, I'd substitute with either Brioche or Milchbrötchen.
- ½ pound deli-style ham
- ½ cheese I used half gouda and half gruyère and shredded them, but you can also use sliced cheeses.
- 4 large bratwurst the fresh ones from the meat counter, casings removed
- ½ c sauerkraut I LOVE the raw sauerkraut from Cleveland Kitchen, especially the roasted garlic one
- 3 dill pickles large, sliced longways
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 1 tablespoon German-style mustard
Sauce for Topping
- 6 tablespoon butter plus a little extra to rub the pan with
- 2 teaspoon German-style mustard
- 1 Tbso minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Open a beer (that one's for you to drink, assuming you're drinking age - duh). Brush a deep pan with some butter (If you have a casserole pan that comes with a lid, that's great. If not, any deep pan to fit the rolls in will work)
- Cut the rolls lengthwise, so you'll end up with two large slabs of halved rolls. Take care to not separate the rolls. Place the bottom slab of rolls in your pan, cut side up.
- In a skillet, crumble up and cook the bratwurst (casings removed) until lightly browned. Drain any excess grease.
- Layer on the ingredients in this order starting from the bottom: ham, cheese, cooked brat crumbles, sliced pickles and sauerkraut. Spread the mayo and mustard on the inside of the top layer of the rolls and then place them cut side down onto the pile.
- Melt the butter (mircowave or stove top) and add in the other ingredients. Drizzle over the rolls, cover with a lid or foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid or foil and bake for another 5ish minutes or until the onions on top have crisped to your liking. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, cut up and serve immediately with more beer or a Kirsch Cosmo (see recipe in this blog post). Guten Appetit and Go Chiefs!
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