Grinder Salad Sandwich Sliders

Grinder Salad Sandwich Sliders. Baked sweet rolls spread with garlic butter, topped with cheese, your favorite cold cuts, and a delicious creamy grinder salad.

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A hoagie that’s gone viral during recent months on TikTok is the grinder salad sandwich. And with each passing video of the sandwich that comes up while I’m scrolling, I salivate so much that it’s impossible to ignore. (Just like these other recipes: TikTok Salmon Rice Balls & Viral Grated Egg Avocado Toast with Chili Oil)

So I had to make my own version. But I turn it into sliders!

Grinder Salad Sandwich

The makings of the original sandwich starts off with a thick, crusty bread roll that’s smothered in garlic butter. Then you have a variety of deli meats, slices of cheese, and a creamy grinder salad that pulls everything together.

The term “grinder” that’s used as a substitute name for a hoagie is thought to originate from New England. And some think it’s because of the thick bread or the topping-packed sandwich that you have to “grind” through with each bite.

Now, since I switch my bread to sweet dinner rolls, there might not be as much crunch on the outside. But the cold cut meats and creamy salad that you pile on can definitely give you a run for your money.

Also, the thing about sandwiches is that you can easily modify it to your taste, or with what you have on hand. So if you’d like to add on some other veggies of your choice, such as carrots, or spice it up by adding a dash of chili flakes, then be my guest!

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls
• Cold cut meats/meats of choice: I used a combination of cold cut meats (beef pastrami, sliced turkey breast, roast beef slices) and turkey bacon.
• 2 slices Muenster cheese or your choice of cheese

Garlic Butter

• Unsalted butter softened
• Minced garlic
• Minced parsley
• Salt

Creamy Grinder Salad

• Small iceberg lettuce: Thinly sliced.
• Red onion: Thinly sliced.
• Japanese mayonaise: I am always for Japanese mayo, but you can also use regular mayo.
• Pickled jalapenos + 1 tsp of the brine
• Rice vinegar
• Sugar
• Grated parmesan
• Basil
• Oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 400 F. Add the sliced red onions in cold/ice water for at least 5 minutes to get rid of the strong spicy onion taste.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the creamy grinder salad except for the onions and lettuce until well combined. Add the onions and lettuce and mix it. Keep it in the fridge for later.
3. Mix all the ingredients together for the garlic butter.
4. Cut the King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls in half to get 6 rolls. Slice it in half for the top and bottom halves of the sliders.
5. Spread the garlic butter all over the inside of the rolls and bake for 5 minutes.
6. Spread more garlic butter on the outside of the top half and place slices of cheese on the bottom half. Bake for another 5-6 minutes.
7. Once baked, add your preferred meat combo and the grinder salad on top. Followed by the top half of the sweet rolls.
8. For easy cutting, wrap with foil, cling film or parchment paper. Cut into smaller pieces for sliders. Enjoy!

Notes for Grinder Salad Sandwich Sliders

• Meat options: For the meat, I used a combination of cold cut meats (beef pastrami, sliced turkey breast, roast beef slices) and turkey bacon. Feel free to use anything you want and as many as you desire. 
• Prepare salad fresh: It’s best to make the salad right before you make the sandwich. Making it way ahead of time will result in a watery salad.

Other Sandwich Recipes

• Asian-Inspired Crispy Chicken Sliders
• Simple Homemade Roti John
• Chili Oil & Jam Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Sweet & Salty)
• Japanese Egg Sandwich (Tamago Sando)

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