I'm always looking for bite-sized but filling hors' dourves for entertaining. It's always a plus when the majority of the work can happen ahead of time as well. I'm also a sucker for miniaturized versions of food (I heart mini M&Ms). But I also find that there is a slippery slope into the land of frumpy mini-foods - pigs in a blanket, mini quiche, etc. It was my quest to bring the class back to mini-burgers (aka slider). They are so cute and they can actually be filling (if you eat enough of them).
Mini-Burgers:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 C. Peter Luger's Steak Sauce
1 - 1 1/2 Tbs. onion powder
1 - 1 1/2 Tbs. garlic powder
1 egg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Be sure not to over mix - it's best if you use forks to combine (I tend to over mix when I use my hands).
I like to use an ice cream scoop to form the patties and ensure they are all the same size. My finished patties were around 1 1/2" in diameter. Everything up until this point can be made in advance.
In a cast iron skillet cook the patties. I like using a cast iron skillet for this because of the nice crust it forms on the patties - I find the grill grates to be too large for the mini burgers.
To assemble, I used a nice spongy focaccia bread sliced in half with a healthy schmeer of blue cheese dressing (make sure it's a good one with actual pieces of blue cheese in it), baby arugula leaves, and a tomato slice.
