Sliders with Aged Cheddar Cheese

My daughters and I usually can't eat a whole burger, whereas the guys can chow down on one or maybe even two burgers, so sliders are the perfect solution to not waisting food.  You can have a wide variety of toppings like guacamole, fried onion rings, roasted jalapeños or switch up the cheese and use blue cheese or pepper jack.  The topping possibilities are endless.  If you don't want to use Brioche for the buns you can find slider buns at most grocery stores these days.  These are great with cheddar cheese fries:


Cheese Fries



3/4 lb ground beef
Pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz aged cheddar cheese, sliced
6 slices Brioche bread, punched out with a 2-inch ring cutter
Arugula leaves or thin slices of ice burg lettuce
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced
dill pickles slices

Preheat a grill or grill pan.

Put the ground beef in a bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands to combine. Take 2 tablespoons of the beef and shape it like a meatball. Flatten slightly and drizzle the burgers with oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Place the burgers on the hot grill. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn them over with tongs. Put about 1/2 oz. of aged cheddar cheese on top of the burgers, allowing it to melt. While that’s cooking, put the brioche circles on the grill. Toast them slightly on both sides, about 2 minutes total.

Assembly:
Put the toasted brioche circles on a platter. Top toasted bread with your favorite condiments. Put the burger on top (cheese side up), followed by an arugula leaf, a slice of tomato and a slice of dill pickle.