Ya know, I've always wondered why White Castle never protected the name "slider." Now, instead of being a unique size/shape, it's used in reference to any mini-burger.
Just to pick a nit, Rob, to be White Castle style, your patties would have to be much thinner, and have 5 little holes in them.
I like the idea of the quail egg. And I agree; the idea of grinding up Kobe
beef for
burgers makes me shudder. But there are an incredible number of proteins that can be used. For sure, various
beef cuts, alone or in combination. But also
lamb, pork, duck, other fowl, and even fish.
In restaurants the concentration seems to be running the changes with toppings. But with a little thought it's a wonder what you can do with seasonings and other ingredients to vary the flavor of the burger itself.
Another way of varying sliders is with the choice of bun. While there's nothing wrong with hamburger buns, the breadstuff, many times, can be an integral part of the flavor profile. Among the typical choices are potato bread, brioche, and English muffin. But don't hesitate to go further afield. Virtually any yeast bread recipe can be adapted to slider-bun size. For instance, in my
Lamb Burger Afrique sliders I use pumpkin buns. Here's the recipe:
Mini Lamb Burgers Afrique
1 lb ground
lamb
1/2 cup dried dates, finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbls ras el hanout
2 tbls yogurt
Halloumi cheese, thinly sliced
Tzatziki for topping
Olive salad for base
Mini pumpkin buns
Combine
lamb, dates, salt, pepper, ras el hanout and yogurt in a bowl. Form into balls using 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture. Flatten balls to make patties about 1/4 inch thick.
Lay a patty on work surface. Press a small square of Halloumi into center. Top with a second patty, pressing to seal well.
Pan fry in a film of olive oil, 3-4 minutes per side.
Split buns. Spread a little olive salad on bottom half. Top with burger. Spoon some tzatziki over burger. Put top of pun in place.