Mississippi Sin Ham Sliders

Marcus called from Atlanta. Earl Jr.'s boy. He's twenty-three and working as an electrician's apprentice and he called to tell me he's seeing someone. Her name is Tasha. He says she's smart and funny and she can cook. I said, "What does she cook?" He said, "She makes a good jerk chicken." I said, "Bring her to Thanksgiving. I'll be the judge." He laughed. He doesn't know I'm only half joking. In this family, you are evaluated by what you bring to the table, literally and otherwise.

Choir is gearing up for the fall concert. We're doing a whole program of spirituals — "Swing Low," "Go Down, Moses," "Wade in the Water," "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child." That last one gets me every time. I sang it with my mama in this very choir forty years ago, her soprano soaring above my alto, and now she's gone and I'm the old one and my alto is the foundation that younger voices build on. Music is like cooking, baby — it's layered, and the bottom layer is the one that holds everything up, and nobody notices it until it's gone.

I made hoppin' John this week, which is traditionally a New Year's dish but I don't believe in saving good food for specific dates. Hoppin' John is black-eyed peas cooked with rice and smoked meat — I used a smoked ham hock because Earl's doctor can say what he wants but some recipes require pork and this is one of them. Onion, garlic, a bay leaf, a splash of vinegar at the end that brightens everything up like opening a curtain. It's simple food. Poor food. The kind of food that enslaved people made from what they were given and turned into something so delicious that it became the cuisine of a region. Every time I cook Lowcountry food, I am cooking history. I am cooking survival. I am cooking the genius of people who were given nothing and made everything.

The Lowcountry Boil is next week. I've been prepping all week — making the seasoning blend, cleaning the big pots, counting heads. The church secretary says we have 215 RSVPs, which means 250 will show up because this is a Black church and RSVPs are suggestions. I'm ready. I have been ready for this boil since last year's boil ended and I started thinking about how to make it better. Gladys is making two peach cobblers and a sweet potato pie. I am making three peach cobblers and a coconut cake. We don't talk about the math. The math speaks for itself.

Earl helped me sort the seasoning packets Saturday. He sat at the kitchen table with a paper bag and a measuring cup and parceled out the blend into portions. His hands shake a little now — the medication does that — but he measured carefully, the way he does everything. Carefully and completely. I watched him and I thought: this man. This quiet, steady, careful man. He is the seasoning in my life. He doesn't overpower anything. He just makes everything better.

Now go on and feed somebody.

I told you I made hoppin’ John this week and used a smoked ham hock because Earl’s doctor can say what he wants — some recipes require pork, and that’s the end of the discussion. That same truth applies here. With the Lowcountry Boil coming up and 250 people about to descend on this church whether they RSVP’d or not, I’ve been thinking about what else to put on that table, and Mississippi Sin Ham Sliders are exactly the kind of food that holds a crowd together — warm, layered, a little indulgent, and deeply Southern. The name “Sin” is just the devil testing you. Make them anyway.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 12 sliders

Ingredients

1 (12-count) package Hawaiian dinner rolls
1 lb thinly sliced smoked ham
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Rotel), drained well
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Without separating the rolls, use a serrated knife to slice the entire slab of rolls in half horizontally, creating one large top and one large bottom.
Make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheddar, drained Rotel, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until well combined and spreadable.
Layer the sliders. Place the bottom half of the rolls in the prepared baking dish. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the cut surface. Layer the smoked ham over the filling in an even layer, folding as needed to fit. Replace the top half of the rolls.
Make the butter glaze. Whisk together the melted butter, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Brush generously over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if using.
Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 8—10 minutes, until the tops are golden and the filling is hot and bubbling at the edges.
Slice and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut along the roll lines and serve warm. Watch them disappear.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mississippi Sin Ham Sliders — Because Some Recipes Just Require Pork