Havarti Topped Sliders

I have a fascination with finger foods, appetizers, hors d'oeuvers, tapas, whatever you want to call it - if it's small plates, bites, or a general sampling of delicious treats - I'm there. 

One of the most common ones I've had on my radar lately is the common slider.  While I can snap up a classic slider any time, my tastes generally run to the bold and flavorful, versus the standard and tried and true.  Having had some rather mixed feelings on sliders I've tried just about everywhere my hubby and I have gone (he's a burger aficionado), this was something I knew I could easily improve on from the sampling I've tried.  Well, except for the ones from the Wolfgang Puck Cafe in Downtown Disney.  Those were just awesomeness.  Truly, they were.

The great thing about appetizers in general and sliders in particular is how flexible they can be.  Here, we had a few thick slices of herbed Havarti cheese on hand from a great deal I happened onto and hubby was craving burgers.  It's like the stars were in alignment.  Or a lot of planes were flying overhead.  Who knows?  But these were some of the best sliders I've ever had.  Not counting the awesomeness from WPC.

2 slices Havarti cheese (free after coupons)
2 slices brick cheese ($.20)
1.25 lbs. ground chuck ($2.90)
1 T. worchestershire sauce ($.05)
2 cloves garlic, minced ($.05)
1 tsp. each: salt, garlic powder, and onion powder ($.10)
1/2 tsp. each black pepper and white pepper ($.05)
8 egg buns ($1.00 on a mark down rack)
2 T. garlic butter ($.25)

Cut each of the cheese slices into 4 equal parts and set aside.
Cut the egg buns in half and butter.  Cook on a griddle pan until toasted.  Set aside.

Combine ground beef (or chuck) with dry herbs, garlic, and worchestershire sauce until just blended.
Score mixture into 4 equal parts.  Divide each part in half.  Form each portion into a patty and slightly intent the center.  This helps keep the burger at an even thickness as they tend to plump slightly when cooked.

In a nonstick pan over medium high heat, add patties (3-4 at a time) and fry until the bottons start to brown, then flip each patty and top the fry pan with a lid and reduce heat to just medium.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, top with a sqaure of each of the cheeses and put lid back on the pan.  Let the residual heat melt the cheese.  Repeat with remaining patties.

Serve on buttered, grilled bun.
Yields = 8 sliders
Cost: $4.60
Cost per slider: $.58