Ahhh the Super Bowl.  That Sunday every year where 2 NFL teams duke it out for the Championship and 364 days of bragging rights.  Or for me…that Sunday every year to attend our friend Phil’s annual cookout, watch the best commercials of the year, and of course the half-time show (I think I’m a Bruno Mars fan now)!

I love potluck parties like this one.  You get to try a lot of different yummy dishes, meet the people making those yummy dishes and most importantly just snack and snack and snack to your heart’s content!  This year I decided to take a couple of my “old faithful” appetizers and mix up the recipes just a bit!

Puff Pastry Sliders…who doesn’t love anything wrapped up in Puff Pastry??  And who doesn’t love all kinds of yummy sliders?? Hence…Puff Pastry Sliders.  There are several “staple” items I always have in my kitchen.  Ground Beef is one of them.  Puff Pastry is another.  Always.  My BFF Lucy over at Lucysinspired, kids me about my Puff Pastry stash.  But it’s just so versatile for all dishes!  And I love it.  And everyone else loves it.  And what if there was a Puff Pastry shortage?  I would totally be ready. 

So here is where I started…and most of this is just pantry items that I already had on hand.  My inspiration for these came from the Pepperidge Farm Website a few years ago and continue making it my own.  Because I love all things Pepperidge Farm.  And if you didn’t already know…I love Puff Pastry.

Puff Pastry, Ground Beef or Chuck, Cheese–Any that your prefer, Shallot, Salt, Pepper, Egg White.

Make sure to follow the instructions on the Puff Pastry and let it thaw for 40 minutes before trying to use it…(Very important step here–Trust me when I say frozen Puff doesn’t work).  Start by seasoning the ground beef with salt and pepper.  This time I also added garlic powder, Worcestershire and a little low sodium Dales Sauce.  Then finally dice up or shred a medium shallot to the mix.  Make sure not to overwork the meat!  We aren’t making meatloaf.  Remember…Puff Pastry Sliders.

Next…pat out the sliders into small patties like below.  You want 12 of them.  Fry them for a couple of minutes on each side just until brown.  Don’t fully cook them because they will get more cooking time in the oven.  About 3-4 minutes on each side depending on how thick you make them.  If you use lean ground beef, then make sure to add a little olive oil so they don’t stick to the pan.  Once these are done, set them on paper towels to drain any excess grease.  (We don’t want soggy Puff Pastry later-Trust me again on this).

While these are cooling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grab your thawed Puff Pastry, some flour and a rolling pin.  Lightly flour a clean surface and flour that rolling pin.  You just want to roll out each sheet of the Puff Pastry a little into a rectangle shape.  Not too much.  Just a little.  You are going to want 6 sliders for each of the sheets.

Now get creative!  Place 6 patties on the Puff Pastry.  Top these with any ingredients you like!  I had some left over bacon, cheeses, pimento cheese and caramelized onions that I used.  You can make taco sliders, BBQ sliders, plain sliders…whatever you like!  I made bacon cheese, pimento cheese, pepper jack & sharp cheddar and my favorite…blue cheese & caramelized onion.

Now take your egg white and whisk it until just a little frothy so it’s easy to brush on the pastry and set aside.  Grab a knife or a pizza cutter and cut the Puff Pastry into 6 even squares so you can fold these up.  Take each corner of the Puff Pastry and fold it to the middle of the sliders.  You can make pockets and seal them up or just leave a little opening where the edges meet for presentation.  Totally up to you.  If you are using Pimento Cheese…make sure they are sealed and firm so the excess grease doesn’t drain out and make the pastry open up.

Take each of the sliders and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Take your egg white and brush the Puff Pastry so it will turn out nice and golden brown.  They don’t have to look perfect (Unlike mine…they are all even.  Clearly all perfect little packages).  Now pop these in the oven according to the Puff Pastry directions!  Or watch them and take them out when they are golden brown and not over cooked and dry.  No one likes dry Puff Pastry.

And Tah-Dah!!  Puff Pastry Sliders.  Sure to wow a crowd and make everyone think you spent hours and hours on their potluck party dish!  Don’t correct them.  Tell them it took forever to make.  Just gives you more to talk about at the party!  And the meaning of Tah-Dah in the Urban Dictionary is “be impressed” or “aren’t I just amazing“.  If you are bringing these to my potluck parties, then I would say “Why yes…yes you are”! Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!