Hawaiian Meatball Sliders with a Jicama Slaw

September 2019. The cold has settled into Memphis the way grief settles into a family — not violently, but persistently, a presence that changes the texture of every day. I am 60 and still walking my mail route through Midtown Memphis, and the week was a winter week, which means the cooking was warmer, the house was smaller, and the people I love were closer.

The week\'s main current was january mid. Walter Jr. came by the house this week, bringing the energy he always brings — steady, organized, the FedEx man\'s approach to family visits: arrive on time, deliver what\'s needed, check that everything\'s in order. Rosetta orchestrated the visit the way she orchestrates everything: with the invisible precision of a woman who has been managing a household, a hospital floor, and a husband for three and a half decades, and who considers all three jobs equally challenging and equally rewarding.

I cooked this week the way I cook every week: with intention, with the ingredients at hand, and with the understanding that food made in a home kitchen for people you love is fundamentally different from food made anywhere else. The recipe doesn\'t matter as much as the hands that make it and the table that receives it. I stood at my stove or sat beside my smoker and I made honey-sriracha wings, Super Bowl, and the making was the medicine, and the eating was the communion, and the cleaning up afterward was the humility that every cook needs — the reminder that the meal is over but the feeding continues, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

The week ended the way weeks end in this life — with the fire banked, the kitchen clean, Rosetta reading on the couch, and the quiet of Deadrick Avenue settling over the house like a blessing someone forgot to say out loud. I sat on the porch and listened to the nothing, which in Orange Mound is never truly nothing — it\'s crickets and distant traffic and someone\'s television through an open window and the deep, patient breathing of a neighborhood that has been here for a hundred years and will be here for a hundred more, if the people who love it refuse to leave.

When Walter Jr. comes through the door and Rosetta’s already got the house running like a well-oiled ward, I want to put something on the table that matches the energy of the room — something warm, a little sweet, with enough substance to hold a man through the second half. These Hawaiian Meatball Sliders are exactly that kind of food: unpretentious, generous, built for a crowd and a couch and an afternoon that matters. The jicama slaw keeps things bright and honest, which is about all you can ask of a side dish or a family member.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8 (2 sliders each)

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the Hawaiian Sauce:
1 cup crushed pineapple (with juice)
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
For the Jicama Slaw:
2 cups jicama, peeled and julienned
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
For Assembly:
16 Hawaiian slider rolls, split
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Sliced green onions, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Make the slaw. Combine jicama, cabbage, and carrot in a large bowl. Whisk together rice vinegar, honey, and lime juice, then pour over the slaw. Season with salt and pepper, toss well, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Mix and roll the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and black pepper. Mix until just combined — don’t overwork it. Roll into 16 balls, roughly 1 1/2 inches each.
Brown the meatballs. Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil. Sear meatballs in batches, turning to brown on all sides, about 5–6 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
Build the sauce. In the same skillet over medium heat, combine crushed pineapple, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
Finish in the sauce. Return meatballs to the skillet, turning to coat. Reduce heat to low and simmer together for 8–10 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through (internal temperature 165°F).
Toast the rolls. Brush the cut sides of the slider rolls with melted butter. Toast in a skillet or under the broiler for 1–2 minutes until lightly golden.
Assemble and serve. Place one meatball on each slider roll bottom, spoon a little extra sauce over the top, and add a generous pinch of jicama slaw. Cap with the top bun, then garnish the platter with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Hawaiian Meatball Sliders with a Jicama Slaw — The Super Bowl Spread That Brings the Family to the Table