Buffalo Sliders with Cheddar, Burgundy Braised Onions and Red Potato Salad

Slider Mania!  Sliders are popular everywhere!

  
     Las Vegas restaurants serve some very exotic gourmet sliders.  I had some great Kobe Beef sliders at Gold Lounge at the Aria Casino the last time I was visiting home in Las Vegas.
     Buffalo (American Bison) is an outstanding gourmet slider burger meat.  Lean, clean and plenty of flavor is what Buffalo meat is like.
     The Red Potato Salad is a traditional Louisiana recipe.  Finely minced red bell pepper is what gives the potato salad a red color.

     Focaccia Dough Recipe: 
     If you have dough making experience, then this will be easy.  
     High gluten flour is best for this recipe, but bread flour can be used.  Pizza dough is focaccia dough or Italian bagette style bread dough.  No oil in the mixture will produce a dough that is like many Italian breads that are not enriched with fat or like a French baguette bread dough.  Many pizzeria chefs do not add oil to a pizza dough and that is correct pizza dough too.  
     Focaccia style doughs require enrichment with fat.  Olive oil is a fat!  Oil strengthens and elongates the gluten strands of the dough.  It only takes a very small amount of oil to produce a nice texture.  The elastic gluten strands give pizza dough the ability to be stretched and tossed in the air!
     Add 2 tablespoon of fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon of dry yeast to 16 ounces of tepid luke warm water in a mixing bowl.
     Place the mixing bowl in a luke warm place like on top of a warm oven, with a dry towel under the bowl.
     When the yeast activates, add 2 teaspoons of sugar to proof the yeast.
     Add about 2 cups of flour.
     Add 2 teaspoons of sea salt.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.
     Stir the mixture with a spoon, till a very loose wet dough is formed.
     Start adding a little bit of flour at a time,while stirring, till a loose dough is formed.
     Add a little more flour at a time, while mixing with your fingers, till the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
     Note:  You will be able to feel when the dough is starting to get elastic.  It will stick to your hands when made correctly, but that will change after rising twice.
     Add flour, while hand mixing, till the dough can pull away from the sides of the bowl.
     Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with a dry towel.
     Set the bowl on top of an oven in a luke warm area, with a second towel underneath the bowl to protect the dough from too much heat.
     When the dough rises more than double, beat it down with your knuckles and gather the dough like a ball in the bowl.
     Cover the dough with a towel and let it rise again.
     When it rises the second time, beat the dough down and knead firmly with your hands for 1 minute.
     Place the dough on a floured counter top.
     Roll the dough into a large ball.
     Cut the dough ball in half into 2 easy portions that are easy to work with.
     Roll and tuck each dough portion with with your hands to make smooth dough balls.
     You can cover and refrigerate each dough ball for a few days or freeze the dough portions for later use.
   
     Focaccia Slider Rolls:
     To make focaccia slider buns with the focaccia dough, cut walnut size dough portions of the focaccia dough.
     Place the dough portions on a parchment paper lined baking pan and space them about 3" apart from each other.
     Brush the rolls with olive oil, then sprinkle sea salt and coarse back pepper on the dough portions.  (optional)
     Let the dough rise and proof.
     Bake the slider rolls in a 425 degree oven, till they become a very light tan color.
  
     Red Potato Salad Recipe:
     Boil 1 peeled russet potato, till it is fully cooked, but not mushy.
     Cool the cooked potato under cold running water.
     Cut the potato into large diced cube shaped pieces.
     Place the diced potato into a mixing bowl.
     Chill the potato in a refrigerator.
     Bake 1 red bell pepper in a 350 degree oven, till it is cooked al dente and not caramelized at all.  (Do not cook the red pepper till the skin turns black, like you would for a roasted red pepper!) 
     Trim the stem and seeds off of the red bell pepper.
     Very finely mince the red bell pepper, till it is nearly a puree.
     Add the minced red bell pepper to the diced potato in the mixing bowl.
     Add 1 tablespoon of chopped celery.
     Add 1 tablespoon of chopped onion.
     Add 1 teaspoon of of Creole Mustard or dijon mustard.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 4 pinches of paprika.
     Add 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.
     Add just enough mayonnaise to bind the ingredients together.
     Gently mix the potato salad together and chill it in a refrigerator.
  
     Burgundy Braised Onions:
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 handful of sliced onion.
     Saute till the onions turn clear in color.
     Add 1 cup of burgundy wine.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Reduce the temperature to medium low heat.
     Simmer and reduce the burgundy, till the onions are braised and glazed with the wine reduction. 
     Set the wine braised onions aside and keep them warm on a stove top.
  
     Buffalo Sliders with Cheddar, Burgundy Braised Onions and Red Potato Salad:
     Split 3 slider rolls in half and brush them with melted unsalted butter.
     Grill the slider rolls, till they become toasted.
     Spread a little bit of mayonnaise on the rolls.
     Place small pieces of lettuce leaf on the slider roll bottoms.
     Place a thin slice of Roma tomato on each roll bottom.
     Make 3 small slider patties with ground buffalo meat using a ring mold.  (The slider patties should weigh about 2 ounces apiece.)
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Grill the buffalo slider burgers.
     Season the sliders with sea salt and black pepper. 
     Flip the buffalo sliders when they become half way cooked.
     Immediately place some sliced cheddar cheese on top of each slider.
     Cook the sliders rare to medium rare.  (The cheese will melt by that time.)
     Place the buffalo sliders on top of the lettuce tomato slices on the slider roll bottoms.
     Place the 3 sliders on a plate.
     Place the burgundy braised onions on top of the melted cheddar on the sliders.
     Canter the slider roll tops against the sliders.
     Place a scoop of the red potato salad on a bed of lettuce leaves on the plate.
  
     The potato salad is unique and it has a garden fresh rich red bell pepper flavor.  Buffalo meat is such a nice old west style flavor.  Cheddar and burgundy braised onions are a classic gourmet slider topping.  These little bite size buffalo sliders will put a smile on a gourmet slider lover's face!  Yum!  ...  Shawna