Seriously Good Ham Delights

One of the best game day appetizers, ham and swiss cheese sliders! These easy ham delights are made on Hawaiian rolls for a sweet + savory combo that is to die for. These are delicious with deli ham, but leftover glazed holiday ham makes them even more special! I make them ahead of time and stick them in the oven right before serving.

You know these little love nuggets, right? If you live in the south, I'm thinking yes, but I don't know where else these are a STAPLE for parties, tailgating, and sportsball watching in general.

(I feel that it's important to state that I do in fact know that this weekend is the Super Bowl. And here's the next recipe you should ABSOLUTELY make for it.)

Recipe Notes

So these sandwiches, just in case you aren't familiar: It's regular ham and cheese layered in sweet dinner rolls, then doused with a butter + poppy seed + spice mixture, wrapped in foil, and baked to ooey gooey perfection.

Easy doesn't begin to cover it; the hardest part of the whole recipe is melting the butter in the microwave and measuring out the spices. The sandwiches can be made well in advance and then baked at the last minute. I like to bake them in batches of 12 at a time so that they're always hot during parties or wherever I'm serving them.

The key to Southern Ham Delights is the combo of savory baked ham, sweet bread, and a buttery drizzle that gets baked into the bread at the end. It is RIDICULOUSLY good. Comfort food at its absolute finest, seriously.

Sweet Hawaiian rolls are the bread of choice here, or any small slider size bun labeled as "sweet."

Ingredients

The ingredients are super simple and forgiving, too - I use leftover Christmas ham (it was appropriately close to Christmas, don't worry) for this but deli ham works just fine. Swiss cheese, Hawaiian rolls, and butter + spices make up the rest of the ingredient list!

The seasoning blend is what really takes these over the top: butter, seasoned salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dehydrated onion, and Worcestershire sauce. YUM.

Ingredient Notes and Variations

• I make a ham every Christmas and sometimes at Easter (it's one of the most popular recipes on my site!), and the leftovers are really wonderful in these ham delights. Deli ham also works well, especially if you can find it thick-cut.
• If you don't like Swiss cheese, sharp cheddar or provolone are wonderful. I like pre-sliced cheese because it's easy to portion out, but it's not necessary.

Step By Step Instructions

Start by melting the butter mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stirring and repeating as needed until the mixture is melted and the spices combine with the butter.

Then, separate the rolls from each other and cut them in half if they aren't already. Keep the rolls in the same configuration they were in in the package; we put them back together in the same shape in a minute. 

**Note: I build these sandwiches directly in a small baking dish or rimmed baking sheet - something about the same size as one package of Hawaiian rolls.

Start to build the sandwiches by placing ½ piece of cheese (folded in half) and a slice or two of ham on each of the bun bottoms. 

Top the sandwiches with the bun tops, then squish the rolls back together so the sandwiches are super close together. 

AND THEN, brush the spice butter mixture over the sandwiches. On the tops, in the cracks between, wherever you can get it so it doesn't run off in the pan. 

Cover the sandwiches tightly with foil, then when you are ready to serve bake these at 350F covered for 15 minutes and uncovered for 5 minutes more to crisp the tops of the buns just a teeny bit.

Serve the sandwiches on the tray they baked on to keep them warm, they may stick together a little bit where the cheese has melted, but pull the sandwiches apart and DEVOUR. Seriously so good.

Make Ahead and Prep Tips

• To make ham and swiss sliders in advance, just make the entire dish and store the covered pan in the fridge, then bake the ham delights right before serving so they're hot and gooey when you eat them.
• You could also portion out the ingredients in advance (for example if you don't have room in your fridge for a whole baking tray or sandwiches), then assemble the sandwiches and bake.

....and boom goes the dynamite. 

Leftovers and Storage

I can't tell you how delicious they are, in all their comfort food simplicity. The butter mixture is out of this world and the ham and swiss pairs so well with the sweet bread. 

Leftovers keep great in the fridge for at least a few days. I wrap them in the foil used for baking and then just reheat in the oven until they're warm (350F for 15 minutes or so), but leftovers are also yummy in the microwave for 30 seconds or so!