Ham and Swiss Sliders in Poppy Seed Sauce

 

Have you ever seen a recipe pop up almost every day on Pinterest? Ever tried that recipe? I've seen these rolls all over the place. I was just going to take the Pinning Masses' word for it, and call it good. But recently (and in the past), I've even had readers recommend me trying it. What is up with this recipe?

Let me tell you: it's been pinned thousands of times. 507,000 times to be exact. People are going nuts over this stuff. And after finally trying this recipe last week, I can excitedly confirm the hype is for good reason.

I wouldn't have given this recipe a fighting chance, unless I had some good ham on hand... we can thank my dear Mother for providing our key ingredient.

Let me explain: When I was growing up, we'd visit my grandma's house pretty often (and when I say often, maybe once a month?) She lived a few hours away, but the trip was always worth it. At the close of each visit, my Grandma would send bottles of beautifully canned produce, and sometimes a cooler-full of delicious things to eat. She was, and is to this day, an amazingly generous woman.

Well, genetics gracefully made it's way to my Mother. You'll never see our little car driving away from her home without a grocery bag or two of food. We're not starving students (well... technically...), and we didn't ask for any of it. She's just amazingly generous (and very insistent) just like my Grandma. I'm very grateful for both of them.

A rehearsal a couple weeks ago brought me up again to my Mom's neck-of-the-woods, and I stopped by after for a visit (and to pick up my little man - my husband was chillin' with Paul Ryan at the Convention Center). Once again, she sent me home with a box-full of random food - including a delicious ham! It was medium-sized, but still pretty big for our little home of three, so we've been using it in all kinds of meals (mostly sandwiches and omelets).

I knew the second I saw the ham that we were finally going to try the coveted Ham and Cheese Sliders recipe once and for all.

After trying it, let me relate once more: it's not your ordinary slider. The seemingly-harmless poppy seed sauce transcends ham and cheese to a whole new ball game. In the oven, it crusts over the outside, and leaves the inside soft and melty with warm ham and Swiss.

The original recipe makes 24 servings. I've modified it below for a decent 6 - even though we all know I had enough ham to feed a crowd!  

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Ham and Swiss Sliders in Poppy Seed Sauce 

Ingredients: 

Sandwiches:
6 fresh dinner rolls, sliced in half
6 slices of Swiss cheese
6 pieces of good ham (honey ham would be best)
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 C miracle whip

Poppy Seed Sauce:
2 t poppyseeds
1 T dijon mustard
1/4 C butter, melted
2 t minced onion
1/4 t Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix together mayo and miracle whip. Spread mixture onto both sides of the insides of the dinner rolls.
3. Inside each sandwich, place a slice of ham and Swiss.
4. Place loaded rolls inside an 8x5 baking dish close together.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together all poppy seed sauce ingredients. Using as much or little sauce as you please, pour sauce over sandwiches. Let sit 5 minutes until butter sets.
6. Cover with foil, and bake for 12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
7. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes, or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

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Recipe source: The Girl Who Ate Everything who was inspired by The Recipe Club