TEAR ’N’ SHARE SLOPPY JOE SLIDER BAKE

I’m not sure why this much-loved American classic hasn’t hit it off over here in the UK. What’s not to love about mounds of spiced minced beef in a sandwich, topped with one of my guilty pleasures, processed cheese? I love the sharing nature of this dish – bring it straight to the table, tear off a slider and prepare to get messy! The kids will love this one.

SERVES 4

1–2 tablespoons olive oil

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced beef

1 large onion, finely diced

1 green pepper, finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

500 ml (18 fl oz) beef stock if using the conventional method or 200 ml (1∕2. pint) if using the slow cooker method

3 tablespoons tomato ketchup

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

1 tablespoon tomato purée

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 x 12 pack of slider buns, snack rolls or small soft round rolls

12 processed cheese slices

Salt and pepper

Garlic butter:

80 g (2 3/4 oz) salted butter, melted

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons finely chopped

parsley (optional)

To serve:

Oven chips

Creamy coleslaw

CONVENTIONAL METHOD

1 Heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the minced beef and fry for 7–8 minutes, until nicely browned. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the 500 ml (18 fl oz) of stock and the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sweet chilli sauce, tomato pur.e and vinegar and combine everything together.

2 Cover with a lid and simmer over your lowest heat for 2 hours. Add a little more stock if required (the mixture should be sloppy). Season with salt and pepper.

3 Preheat the oven to 180ÅãC (350ÅãF), Gas Mark 4.

4 Without separating the rolls, slice them horizontally and place the lower half in a baking tray or ovenproof dish lined with greaseproof paper. Mix together the butter, garlic and parsley (if using), then brush this onto the bottom half. Spoon the minced beef mixture over the rolls, then top with the cheese slices and the top half of the rolls. Brush the tops of the rolls with any remaining garlic butter.

5 Bake in the oven for 8–10 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Use the paper to lift the slider bake from the tray and bring to the dinner table to enjoy. I serve mine with oven chips and some creamy coleslaw on the side.

SLOW COOKER METHOD

1 Follow step 1 as above, making sure you use only 200 ml (.⁄. pint) of stock.

2 Transfer this to your slow cooker, then cover and cook on the low setting for

4 hours. Season with salt and pepper.

3 Follow steps 3–5 as above.

Recipe taken from Cook Slow by Dean Edwards