Sliders came on the scene once in the early 90s (shout out Burger King Burger Buddies) and then had a resurgence on menus during the great gastro pub revolution of the early aughts. You know when every restaurant had backless metal stools and Edison bulbs? Since then, they’ve found a permanent place on catering and appetizer menus everywhere, because everyone loves a tiny sandwich. We knew we’d want some kind of a slider in the Tailgate Club lineup and when we saw this we knew it was the one: a turkey gobbler slider (or “gobblah slidah” in our beloved regional dialect). All your favorite Thanksgiving flavors in one tiny, tasty package. Who says you have to wait until the last Thursday in November to start dipping things in gravy? Not us.
TURKEY GOBBLER SLIDERS
1 dozen brioche slider buns, halved horizontally
4 tbsp. melted butter, divided
¾ lb turkey
¼ lb. mild cheddar
¼ lb. provolone
½ can whole berry cranberry sauce
½ container Fruit Center’s Own Cranberry Stuffing
Flaky sea salt, fresh ground pepper
1 container Fruit Center’s Own Turkey Gravy
Preheat your oven to 350. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. On another burner set the gravy on low to warm it up, stirring occasionally. Split slider buns horizontally but keep them as two big units, you will build the sandwiches as two giant gobblers and then slice them into individual portions once they are fully cooked.
On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, place the bottom buns. Lightly brush with melted butter and then top with an overlapping layer of cheddar cheese slices. We used about 6-7 slices, so we had a few leftovers. Top the cheddar with sliced turkey and then dollop cranberry sauce on top and spread out evenly. Spoon some stuffing on top to create the next layer and dress the stuffing lightly with about 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons of warm gravy. Top with sliced provolone and the lids of your slider buns. Brush the tops of the buns with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (Maldon if you have it) and fresh cracked pepper. Tent aluminum foil over loosely and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 12 before serving.
To serve: use a large serrated knife to slice your two giant gobblers into twelve little baby gobblers and serve with the hot gravy on the side for dipping.
This recipe is from cookbook author and online content creator Diane Morrisey.
BEVERAGE PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
Thanksgiving flavors are notoriously challenging to match wine with because there are so many different elements on the table. These savory sliders take all of those elements and put them in one perfect bite, so we looked to some of our Thanksgiving pairing suggestions to match. Our first choice with this would be rosé, because it’s refreshing and high acid which will cut through the richness of the buttery brioche and savory stuffing but compliment the cranberry. One of our go to favorites every year is the Ercole Rosato. Hot pink in the glass with aromas of red berries and wild flowers, on the palate it’s fresh, juicy and dangerously drinkable. For a white wine, we think a crisp, unoaked chardonnay would be perfect here. New to the store is a Northern Italian chard that punches way above its weight in terms of quality for the price. The Clic Chardonnay is clear gold colored in the glass with bright aromas of white and yellow fruit, a zippy mid palate and a clean, crisp finish thanks to no oak aging. This is going to be a go-to party wine for us all season long because it’s both delicious and affordable.
For the red drinkers, we think a fun match for this would be the Field Recordings Freddo Sangiovese, which is a chillable red made of 100% organic sangiovese grown in California. Clear ruby colored in the glass with aromas of tart cherry, baking spice and wild herbs, this red is punchy and light on its feet, making it a great match for these rich, savory sliders.
For beer, we feel that the crisp hop bitterness of an American pale ale would be perfect. We recently welcomed Trillium brewing to our craft beer department and it just so happens that one of their flagship pale ales would fit the bill nicely. The Trillium Fort Point Pale Ale is a balanced, aromatic ale brewed with a generous dose of Citra and Columbus hops. Hazy gold in the glass with a palate loaded with tropical fruit flavors, hints of citrus peel and pine followed by a snappy and dry finish. A perfectly crafted Boston beer to pair with your adorable gobblah slidah, come on what could be better than that?