Anyone who has made a Mississippi pot roast in the slow cooker knows how simple and delicious it is. With just 4 ingredients - five if you include the pepperoncini peppers, which I seldom do - it's a simple fix for dinner if you start it early enough in the day. The chuck or rump roast that you use is one of the toughest meats, so it requires six to eight hours of cooking on low.
With just two people to feed in my house, I always have leftovers and recently went looking for a way to use it other than serving it as an entree with potatoes and a salad.
Sliders was the answer - and, oh boy, what a delicious answer it was.
They are made in the same vein as those delicious ground ham and cheese sliders that you put on King's Hawaiian rolls and top with a buttery poppy seed drizzle. The topping for these, however, has no poppy seeds and they are made on rolls that aren't so sweet. The recipe I saw called for potato rolls, but I couldn't find any so I picked up some Sara Lee Artesano rolls, and they were perfect.
These sliders were so good, it's worth making the Mississippi pot roast just to make the sliders. But do yourself a favor and have the pot roast for dinner one night, then make the rolls from leftovers a day or two later. Just in case you've never made this particular recipe for pot roast, here's the recipe along with how to make the sliders.
Mississippi Pot Roast Sliders
3-4 pounds chuck roast
1 stick butter
1 packet au jus seasoning
1 packet dry ranch seasoning mix
6 whole pepperoncini peppers (optional)
Sauce:
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Sandwiches:
1 package Sara Lee Artesano rolls (or your favorite slider rolls)
6 slices provolone cheese, cut in half to make 12 pieces
For the roast: Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker. Top with butter, and sprinkle with au jus and ranch seasonings. Add peppers, if using. Cook on low for 6-9 hours or until roast is tender enough to shred. Remove large chunks of fat, and serve for dinner, or continue on to make the sliders.
For sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients, mixing well.
To make sliders: Place the whole package of rolls into a baking pan that will fit the entire package as snugly as possible. Remove the top half of the rolls. Put a good-size helping of the shredded pot roast onto the buns; cover each with a slice of provolone (see note); place tops of bun over cheese.
Combine all sauce ingredients, and pour evenly over sliders. Cover baking pan with foil. At this point, the sliders may be placed in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Place sliders, covered, in a 375-degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately. Makes 1 dozen sliders.
Note: Fold each half slice of cheese in half again and place on top of shredded meat. This will ensure you get enough cheese on each sandwich.
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Email Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.
Anne Braly