On paper, the Monte Cristo is a sandwich that makes very little sense. Ham, turkey, swiss – okay that all seems normal… and then powdered sugar? And jam for dipping? What on earth! But, in reality, when you bite into one it is somehow absolutely delicious and it all makes sense. It’s like the embodiment of what sweet and salty combos should be. And here our Monte Cristo Sliders let you serve up that combo to a whole crew of people with no trouble at all. I love a party slider and I especially love these. You and your guests will too – it’s inevitable!

What makes party sliders so easy and convenient is that they rely on a package of Hawaiian rolls for the bread. You simply slice the rolls in half but leave the rolls attached, and place the bottom section in your baking dish as your base. Then, you layer up your ingredients and bake everything at once, so you have easy prep and pull-apart sandwiches for as many as twelve people. It’s almost too easy.

In this case, you’re layering those rolls with the aforementioned ham, turkey, and swiss cheese, but then also brushing the tops of the rolls with a mixture of butter, Dijon mustard, and egg. And then you bake. It’s a fairly classic true-to-the-original combo, it’s just the presentation that’s a little different.

Everything gets warm and delicious in the oven, and all that’s left to do is to top them with a little powdered sugar and score them for easier serving. Oh, and set out a bowl of raspberry jam.

Now, I know jam and powdered sugar seem very odd companions to a meat and cheese sandwich, but if you haven’t tried it before, please give it a chance. It works. It works so very well, and every single person you serve these to will agree.