Ham & Swiss Football Sandwiches

To make these addicting ham and cheese sliders, we take soft, squishy dinner rolls, smear them with bracing yellow mustard, and stuff them with smoky Black Forest Ham and Swiss cheese. Football Sandwiches are typically then brushed with a sauce that uses a whopping 12 tablespoons of butter as the base. We cut the fat down to 4 tablespoons and pumped up the flavor with finely chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and plenty of poppy seeds. Letting the sandwiches sit for 10 minutes before baking allows the rolls to absorb the sauce. After about 30 minutes in the oven (20 covered and 10 uncovered), the sandwiches are slightly crisp on the outside, soft inside, and loaded with oozing, melted cheese. We prefer the soft white dinner rolls found in the bakery section of your supermarket, but dinner-size potato rolls will also work in this recipe.

12 square, soft, white dinner rolls
6 tablespoons yellow mustard

12 thin deli slices Black Forest ham (8 ounces)
12 thin deli slices Swiss cheese (8 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice rolls in half horizontally. Spread 4 tablespoons mustard on cut sides of roll tops and bottoms. Arrange roll bottoms, cut side up and side by side, in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Fold ham slices in thirds; place a slice on each roll bottom. Fold Swiss in thirds, then once in half, and place over ham. Season with pepper and cap with roll tops.

2. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds in bowl. Microwave until butter is melted and onion is softened, about 1 minute. Whisk Worcestershire, garlic powder, and remaining 2 tablespoons mustard into butter mixture until combined. Generously brush tops and edges of sandwiches with all of butter mixture. Spoon any remaining solids over sandwiches.

3. Cover dish with aluminum foil and let sit for 10 minutes to allow sandwiches to absorb sauce. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until cheese is melted around edges and tops are slightly firm, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.