We are off to our friend’s home to watch the “BIG GAME” this afternoon – and I’m bringing over a long-time favorite of the Hamlin family. We’ve enjoyed this recipe for years, and thanks to the internet (and Pinterest!) lots of you have enjoyed it, too. You may have heard them referred to as Ham and Cheese Sliders – yummy, cheesy, buttery, hammy goodness. I promise, you, it is impossible to eat just one.
We have called them Ham Balls since living in Iowa. I would make them for our friends every Christmas and Randy couldn’t think of their name, so he christened them Ham Balls and the name stuck. I was very protective of the recipe (yeah, I was one of THOSE people) and didn’t share it until we moved…A girl’s gotta keep a couple of secrets!
The original recipe I have is from A Taste of Old Salem, a community cookbook published by the Junior Women’s Club of Salem, VA in 1989.
I don’t know how to insert a printable document (yet) so you’ll need to copy and paste if you decide to whip some of these babies up before 5:00 central time!
Ham Rolls (thanks to Kimberly Preston)
3 pkgs. Pepperidge Farm Party Rolls*
2 sticks butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. mustard (I use Dijon style)
3 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 1/2 lb. shaved deli ham (whatever is on sale!)
1/2 lb. thinly sliced Swiss cheese
1) Bake the rolls as directed on the package; remove from the pan and slice in half horizontally. It is much easier to put these together if you don’t separate the individual rolls before serving. (Keep the aluminum pan, you’ll need it to bake them in after they are put together.)
2) Saute onion in butter until translucent, add the Worcestershire, mustard and poppy seeds to the onion/butter mixture. Divide evenly between the 3 pans of rolls, don’t worry about it soaking in…that’s what makes them so delicious!
3) Top with the ham, then the cheese and put the tops back on. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts – about 20 – 30 minutes. These may be put assembled and frozen and heated without defrosting – just may take a little longer.
*(These are NOT available any longer – the best substitute I have found are Sister Schubert’s Frozen Parker House Rolls, others have used the Hawaiian style sweet rolls, but the Parker House are my pick, they are a perfect bite size) Also, this picture shows some of the butter mixture brushed onto the top of the rolls before baking – you could easily make more and do this.
If you haven’t caught it yet – Puppy Bowl IX is on Animal Planet this afternoon – the commercials might not be the same as the big game , but do you get to see any NFL players get penalized for excessive tail biting or pooping on the field? Hmm…maybe during the off-season?
At any rate – enjoy your day. I think there’s enough time to get to the store and make yourself some Ham Rolls!
Looks good, and being that I like Turkey more I will have change the recipe a little. Thanks for sharing. Mtetar