Zippity do da, zippity day my oh my what a wet and dreary day. This unexpected winter weather is just crazy. 80 degrees one day. 60 degrees the next. I know that many of you are bracing for snow and other inclement weather so I don’t dare complain but if there’s anything that can brighten up all these clouds, it’s my fun and festive St. Patrick’s Day Parade perfect menu recently featured in this month’s inRegister magazine. I hope these Corned Beef Sliders with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing send some cheer your way!
I shared the story about my first experience with the Baton Rouge St. Patrick’s Day parade in this month’s column but want to share with you as well. It was probably close to 8 years ago. New to Baton Rouge, I completely underestimated the magnitude in which Baton Rouge celebrates this occasion known as St. Patrick’s Day. My friend, Jen, lives near the parade route and hosts a parade party each year. And through no fault of her own and while she tried her best to explain the day’s itinerary; we would brunch at her home prior to the parade, catch beads at the parade and haul them back via golf carts, separate menu for after the parade, etc. But even so, I still didn’t quite understand just how many people would be attending this thing. I naively thought arriving 30 minutes prior to the parade was plenty of time to join the festivities. Boy was I wrong! My mint chocolate brownies and I found that the street to her house had long been blocked off, and the pre-parade crowd had made their way toward the parade route without me….taking the Bloody Mary’s along with them.
Since then, I do a bit more preparation. And along with learning the importance of arriving early, I’ve also learned that bite sized fare and parade goers go hand and hand. And while it’s actually more common to have jambalaya and other customary Louisiana dishes served at the parade parties, I thought it would be fun to incorporate just a touch of Irish. Corned beef sliders and stuffed potatoes you can eat with your hands? A winning combination!
Let’s start with the Corned Beef Sliders with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing.
I did some research and it appears that the most common way to enjoy a Reuben sandwich is to include Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut along with corned beef and cheese. I don’t know what it is but I am NOT a fan of sauerkraut, and since it’s also one of the very few things that my husband doesn’t enjoy, I eliminated it from my sliders.
- Thousand Island Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pepper, to taste
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
- Sliders:
- 1 package Hawaiian sweet rolls, sliced open
- 1/2 cup homemade Thousand Island dressing (or store bought)
- 1/2 pound corned beef, sliced thin
- 1/4 pound Swiss cheese, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Place the bottoms of the rolls into the baking dish. Spread a bit of the dressing onto each of the roll halves. Add the corned beef, followed by the Swiss cheese. **if adding sauerkraut do so after the beef and before the cheese. Repeat the layers. Add the slider tops. Use a pastry brush and add the melted butter to the tops of the rolls. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from baking dish and serve warm.
Feel free to add it to your sliders if you’re a fan!
The homemade Thousand Island dressing is quick and easy to whip up and I appreciate that I don’t have to buy an entire bottle when I only need it as a condiment.
Your only concern with these Corned Beef Sliders is how quickly they will disappear. Consider stacking them double decker style and adorn with a washi tape flagged skewer to keep them in place.
Hop over here for the Bite Sized Loaded “Irish” Potatoes.
Stay warm, dry, and well!
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