Cheeseburger Tot Sliders

Why have a burger with some tots on the side when you can just build a burger with tots as the bun! These mini tot sliders are first and foremost insanely cute. Believe it or not, they are actually pretty easy to make, too. But most important—they are extremely delicious. If you serve your friends these sliders when they come over for the big game, they will lose their minds!

Ingredients

• 32 frozen coin-shape tots

• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

• 1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 slices American cheese

• Ketchup and mustard, for serving

• 16 gherkins, for serving

Tots! by Dan Whalen

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2 Place the tots on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle them with the oil. Toss the tots gently to coat evenly with the oil, then spread them out in an even layer. Bake, undisturbed, until they are browned on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Flip the tots with a spatula and bake until they are browned and crisp on top, about 10 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, form and cook the burgers: Line a clean work surface with a sheet of wax paper and put the ground beef on top. Put another sheet of wax paper on top of the beef and press it down into a 4- by 6-inch rectangle. Remove the top piece of wax paper and season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the meat into sixteen 1- by 1 1/2-inch rectangles.

4 Break each slice of cheese into quarters, and fold each quarter over to make 16 pieces of double-thick cheese. Set aside.

5 Cook the burgers in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat, until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the burgers, lay a piece of double-thick cheese on each, and cook until the burgers are cooked through and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes more. (You may have to do this in two batches if you don’t have a big enough pan.)

6 Remove the tot “buns” from the oven and top half with the cooked cheeseburger patties. Squeeze a tiny bit of ketchup and mustard onto each cheeseburger, then top with the gherkin. Finally, poke a food pick through the center of each of the remaining tot buns. Place one on top of a cheeseburger stack and stab the food pick all the way down through the center to make a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining tot buns, toppings, and cheeseburgers.

7 Serve hot. If not serving immediately, reheat them on a baking sheet in the oven at 200°F for 5 minutes.