FRENCH ONION BEEF SLIDERS FOR A CROWD

FRENCH ONION BEEF SLIDERS FOR A CROWD
Like all true sliders, these French Onion Beef Sliders are cooked with onions. However, this time, they’ve been lightly caramelized first, then mixed in with the seasoned ground beef as it cooks.
I’m also stretching the definition of sliders here a teeeeeny bit, because I don’t press the beef into actual patties. In order to make these as simple as possible to cook for a crowd, I break apart the beef as it browns and then distribute the crumbles and onions evenly over a baking sheet full of mini bun bottoms. Once the gruyere I place on top melts, no one’s the wiser!
Speaking of which, I really LOAD on the gruyere. Not only does it help to hold the beef together in a faux-patty, but it really solidifies that french onion flavor. Plus, it looks super decadent when your guests pull them apart.

Exhibit A:
Or perhaps that’s Exhibit B, since the first photo is also a pull-apart picture. But every time you see a picture of that gooey cheese, it feels like the first time, doesn’t it?
It feels like the very first time.
You’d think that once I got the buns, beef, caramelized onions, and gruyere piled up, I’d be done, right? But there’s another quick addition before popping these babies into the oven that makes all the difference in the world: the beefy butter.
I stir beef base (such as Better than Bouillon) into melted butter, along with a bit of Worcestershire sauce, and then I brush it all over the tops of the burgers. Right after brushing the butter on, I sprinkle the sliders with garlic powder, onion powder, fresh thyme, and sesame seeds. This small step really kicks things up a notch.



FRENCH ONION BEEF SLIDERS FOR A CROWD
Prep Time: 20 mins 
Cook Time: 1 hour 
Yield: 24 sliders

INGREDIENTS
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
  • 2 large sweet onions, sliced
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons beef base (such as Better than Boullion), divided
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, divided
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 24 slider buns
  • 12-16 ounces gruyere cheese, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, about 25-30 minutes. If the onions start to look dry or burnt, add a tablespoon of water to the pan.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with half of the beef base and half of the Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add the beef to the skillet full of onions. Increase heat to medium-high and brown the beef, breaking it up and mixing with the onions as you go. Once browned, drain off excess grease.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Separate the tops from the bottoms of the slider buns. Fit the slider bottom buns tightly on the baking sheet.
  5. Evenly distribute the beef and onion mixture over the bottom buns. Top with the gruyere cheese. Cover with the top buns.
  6. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter with the remaining beef base. Stir in the remaining Worcestershire sauce and continue to mix until well-combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the beefy butter mixture over the top buns. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, thyme, onion powder, and garlic powder.
  7. Bake the sliders until the cheese is fully melted and the tops of the rolls are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

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