Colorado Lamb Sliders with Onion Confit, Pickles and Mustard Crema

From: Executive Chef Paul Anders, Sweet Basil, Vail, CO, excerpt from The Sweet Basil Cookbook. Yield: 8 servings, 3 per serving.

Bread and Butter Pickles:
7 cucumbers sliced into 1/8” side chips
3 qt. water
1 qt. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 Tbsp. mustard seed
3 bay leaves
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. dried dill
1 Calabrese pepper
30 cloves garlic
¼ cup salt

Crema:
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. buttermilk

Mustard Sauce:
2 cups crema (see above)
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3Tbsp. grain mustard
3 Tbsp. garlic puree (garlic simmered in milk, pureed when tender)
to taste, salt and pepper

Onion Confit:
3 large Spanish onions, diced small
1 lb. butter
¼ oz. fresh thyme, tied in butcher’s twine

Pickling Spice:
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1 Tbsp. mustard seed
1 Tbsp. coriander seed
1 Tbsp. chili flakes
1 cinnamon stick
6 bay leaves
2 tsp. whole cloves
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. juniper berries

Pickled Red Onions:
3 cups water
1½ cups red wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 red onion, shaved into 1/8” thick rings
1 Tbsp. pickling spice (see previous recipe)

Lamb Sliders:
4 lb. ground Colorado lamb
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 tsp. chopped mint
1 Tbsp. garam masala spice blend
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
to taste, salt and pepper

Curry Chips:
as needed, russet potatoes, peeled and sliced paper-thin using slicer or mandoline
to taste, Madras curry powder
to taste, salt and pepper
**

24 slider buns, preferably brioche
48 watercress leaves, 2 per slider

For bread and butter pickles: Use the widest setting on a mandolin to slice cucumbers, to produce a relatively thick pickle. Place all ingredients except cucumbers in a pot and bring slowly to a boil. Once mixture is boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Cool liquid and, in a container large enough to hold everything, add cucumbers to liquid. Let cucumbers pickle for at least 24 hours before using.

For crema: Mix ingredients together in a nonreactive container and cover with cheesecloth. Let mixture stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Cream will thicken and look like sour cream.

For mustard sauce: Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and set mixture aside.

For onion confit: Combine all the ingredients in a pot. Slowly melt butter over low heat. Once melted, continue to cook over very low heat until onions are al dente. Strain butter and remove thyme. Reserve onions. Save butter for toasting the buns.

For pickling spice: Combine all the ingredients and reserve for use in pickled red onions recipe.

For pickled red onions: Combine all ingredients except onions in a saucepan and slowly bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let mixture cool to room temperature. Strain spices from liquid and pour it over the onions. Pickle for about 1 hour, then remove onions from liquid.

For lamb sliders: Mix all ingredients together well, then form mixture into 24 2½-ounce patties.

For curry chips: Fry potatoes in 300°F oil until crisp and golden brown. Remove chips and drain over towels. Immediately after they come out of the fryer, season chips with salt, pepper and a light dusting of curry powder.

To plate: Cook sliders on griddle or grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or to medium doneness. Brush each bun with reserved onion confit butter and toast them to golden brown. Place slider on bottom half of bun and top with 1 tsp. mustard sauce, ½ tsp. warm onion confit, 2 watercress leaves and the top half of the bun. Garnish plate with pickles and pickled onions, and add other condiments to burgers as desired. Serve with curry chips.