KENTUCKY HOT BROWN SLIDERS are a twist on the classic open-faced sandwich that features turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and a Pecorino Romano cheese sauce!
I can remember the very first time I had a Kentucky Hot Brown. It was during the time in my life when I worked at Outback Steakhouse as a key (a manager who isn’t really a manager but performs management duties). No, I didn’t have the Hot Brown at Outback. I was out with the management team eating at another local restaurant celebrating the holidays!
We were at a cool old Tap Room that has been serving awesome grub since 1922. It was kind of a fancy-schmancy joint for me to be eating at, and I remember oogling the menu trying to decide between all of the decadent dishes that I had never tried before.
Then I saw it. Kentucky Hot Brown, it said. I had no clue what it was, but I am a very thorough menu reader. So naturally, I carefully scanned the description to see what it was all about. Turkey. Bacon. Fresh juicy tomatoes. And a Romano cheese sauce. Goodness gracious, it was a glorious open-faced sammie on Texas toast with all of that goodness piled right on top. I. WAS. SOLD. I promptly closed my menu as my choice had been made that very second!
It was as dreamy as I imagined it would be and I have been obsessed with the Hot Brown ever since. I am equally as obsessed with sliders (I mean, how cute are they, right?), so it only seemed right to morph the epic Hot Brown into a delish itty bitty slider.
I kept all of the elements of the original Hot Brown recipe, first served at The Brown Hotel in Kentucky, hence the name. Only now, instead of being a fork and knife sandwich, the Hot Brown is finger food slider that is perfect for parties or game day!
This recipe can easily be doubled when serving a crowd, which is always a plus. And talk about quick and easy prep! The hardest part is making the cheese sauce, which isn’t really very hard at all. In less that 30 minutes you can have these tasty hot sliders. There’s no reason NOT to try them!
Ingredients
- 1 pkg. Hawaiian Savory Butter Dinner Rolls cut in half crosswise
- 1 ½ Tbsp + 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 ½ Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese plus extra for garnish
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 oz. sliced deli turkey breast
- 8 slices of bacon cooked
- 2 roma tomatoes sliced
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a 2 qt. saucepan, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter and slowly whisk in flour to make a roux. Continue to cook roux for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk heavy cream into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino-Romano cheese. Add nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place the minced garlic and the remaining 1/4 cup of butter into a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted.
- Arrange the bottom half of the rolls in the bottom of an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan and brush with melted butter. Place turkey evenly over the bottom half of rolls. Top with sliced tomatoes. Pour half of the sauce over the sandwiches, then top with sliced bacon pieces and top half of roll. Pour the garlic butter sauce over the top of the rolls.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle with additional pecorino romano. Bake for 2 more minutes. Garnish with parsley and cut into individual sliders. Serve with the remaining cheese sauce for dipping.
Nutrition
Looking for more slider inspiration? Here are a couple of my other faves!
Jalapeno Turkey Burger Sliders
Sacha says
Can these be made ahead of time? They look so delicious!