LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Simple Super Bowl sliders make the grade


Super Bowl Sliders - French Onion Style Photo Susie Iventosch

We visited some good friends in Arizona over the holidays, and upon our arrival, their entire family was on hand to greet us. This was especially fun, because two of our adult kids were with us, too, and they had all known each other since they were very young. Of course, nothing enhances a reunion of friends more than a sumptuous meal. Murry's tri-tip sliders were amazing and the second I tasted them, I knew they would be fodder for the food column! I count on two sliders per person, but some of your guests may eat more, so just multiply the recipe accordingly.

While I was trying to figure out how exactly to spell tri-tip (with a hyphen or without - turns out either way is fine) I came across some interesting information about this cut of meat and how its name came about in the first place. Oddly, it never occurred to me that this cut is always a triangular shape coming from the same shaped muscle located near the bottom of the sirloin section of the steer. Therefore it became known as "tri-tip." On the East Coast, it is sometimes referred to as a "triangular steak" or just plain "steak tip" and in California it has several monikers, including "Santa Maria steak" and "Newport steak." In any case, it is delicious for this meal, and whether you marinate it or just season it with salt, pepper and Johnny's Seasoning Salt, it will be perfect for these sliders. We actually used buffalo tri-tip the last time we made it and it was fantastic. When you get ready to serve the tri-tip, slice it thinly across the grain for these sandwiches.

Murry's Super Bowl Sliders " French Onion Style

(Makes 12 sliders)

INGREDIENTS

1 package (12) King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (or you favorite dinner rolls)

1 tri-tip steak, 2-3 pounds

1-2 teaspoon(s) Johnny's Seasoning Salt

1 package French Onion Soup Mix

4 tablespoons butter

1 package (5.2 ounces) Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F. Preheat grill to medium heat.

Season top and bottom of tri-tip with your favorite rub or seasoning salt. I like the simplicity of Johnny's for this recipe, since you have the French onion soup flavors on the rolls. You can also marinate the tri-tip in a simple marinade for a few hours ahead of grilling.

Melt butter and stir in 1 packet of the French Onion Soup mix. Split rolls in half horizontally with a bread knife and place them on baking sheet. Brush tops with melted butter mixture. Heat in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes, or until tops are golden brown, but rolls are still soft.

Barbecue tri-tip anywhere from 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness and desired doneness. Remove from grill and slice thinly across the grain.

When ready to serve, spread Boursin on the bottom half of each roll and layer slices of tri-tip over the cheese. Place tops back on roll and you have yourself some super-duper Super Bowl sliders!