Prime Rib Sliders

Not too long ago, I met up with fellow food bloggers and Bread Baker Apprentice bakers, Cheryl of A Tiger in the Kitchen, Heather of Bodacious Girl, and Jeff of Culinary Disasters. It was great to meet all of them and talk shop about food, blogs, bread baking, cameras, etc. The crazy thing is, all of us met here in downtown Chicago and each of us came from different parts of the world. Cheryl flew in from Japan; Jeff took a train in from Indiana, Heather drove in from Arizona (about a month prior to our get together) and well, I walked over from our condo.

Unfortunately, Cheryl wasn't able to make it to dinner when we initially planned. She had some plane delays flying to the U.S. so Heather, Jeff and I met up for dinner. We went to Tavern at the Park and on their restaurant menu were these Prime Rib Sliders. I passed on them and ordered something else, but the idea of those prime rib sliders were still lingering in my head... even if it was nearly 2 weeks ago. Enter the prime rib leftovers.

Leftovers - yay or nay? Some folks won't even consider it, others see it as an opportunity. For me, the latter is true. Leftovers are like a challenge of what can you make using a prepared food to create something different. So here, my challenge involves leftover prime rib, thanks to my parents. My parents tend to see food as the ultimate gift to send us off with. We enjoyed a prime rib dinner together and I already knew we would be getting leftovers before the dinner was over. The first thing that came to mind was making Prime Rib Sliders.

Prime Rib Sliders
recipe inspired by Tavern at the Park

leftover prime rib (about 4-8 oz?)
pepper jack cheese slices
ripe red tomato slices
baby spinach
French dinner rolls
1/2 cup caramelized onions
horseradish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Slice your dinner rolls in half and lightly butter the insides (or brush/spray with olive oil). Place on a baking sheet and toast the rolls in the preheated oven.

While the rolls are toasting, heat prime rib in the oven until warm. Alternately, you can pan fry them slightly as desired in a skillet with a touch of olive oil if you want a little crispness to the meat.

To assemble, place your prime rib on the toasted rolls, top with cheese, baby spinach and sliced tomato. You can also smear some horseradish on the roll if you'd like. I found the pepper jack cheese was perfect for a little kick. Enjoy with a nice cold beer!