Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Ham and Gruyere Party Sandwiches

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When planning a food menu to serve for a party or to feed a crowd, I always look for a few items that can be made ahead of time so that I’m not too stressed the day of the event. Most everyone enjoys a ham and cheese sandwich, especially when the cheese is gruyere! The sliders can be made the day before, stored in foil, and placed in the oven 20 minutes before serving. The butter, mayo, mustard, chives, and thyme all work well together and make a great condiment to the sandwich. Another plus is that the sandwiches can also be frozen for later use.

Ham and Gruyere Party Sandwiches

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons minced chives

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

4 (15 oz) packages slider buns

2 1/2 pounds very thinly sliced deli ham

1 1/2 pounds Gruyere cheese, shredded

In a medium bowl, combine butter, mayonnaise, mustard, chives, and thyme, stirring until smooth.

Using a serrated knife, cut buns in half crosswise, keeping edges of buns attached to each other.

Spread butter mixture evenly over bottom halves of buns. Top evenly with ham and cheese; cover with bun tops. Wrap each set of six sandwiches in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake wrapped sandwiches, directly on oven rack, for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through.

To freeze ahead, place wrapped sandwiches in freezer, and freeze up to one month.

Remove from freezer, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake as directed.

Source: Cooking with Paula Deen, November/December 2010

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