Shhhhh. There’s a secret ingredient in these sliders that’s virtually invisible, yet it “makes” these sandwiches.
It’s chili oil…brushed on the outside of the bread.
I learned this little trick from a local pizza place. One of the waiters divulged to me that the kick of flavor I couldn’t get enough of was actually a drizzle of chili oil on the pizza crust. It’s amazing what a difference it makes – it brings in a little bit of heat while enhancing the overall flavor of the dish. As I contemplated different sandwich ideas to celebrate Grilled Cheese Month, I thought chili oil would be just the thing to (literally) spice things up.
I didn’t stop there. To make things even spicier I shredded a blend of jalapeño pepper jack cheese and some nice, stretchy mozzarella. I made the sandwiches slider-sized a) because sliders are cute and b) just in case anyone was wary of spicy food and just wanted a little taster. A little tomato bisque on the side was just the right complement for this lunch with a kick!
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Spicy Grilled Cheese Sliders
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 ounces shredded pepper jack (I used Tillamook)
4 ounces shredded mozzarella
1 sourdough baguette (a larger one, about 3″ diameter, is great), sliced crosswise into 1/2″ slices
Chili oil for brushing
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat.
In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack and mozzarella cheeses. Lay out half of the baguette slices. Place about half a handful of cheese on each baguette slice. Place the remaining baguette slices on top to form each sandwich. Brush a little bit of chili oil on top of each sandwich (give the oil a quick taste to gauge the amount of heat).
Place the sandwiches on the grill (depending on the size of your grill, you may need to work in batches). Grill for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden grill marks appear. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
Who knew grilled cheese could look so good?
As always, so impressed with your creativity!
.-= Kristen´s last blog ..Bertolli Prize Package Date Night Giveaway =-.
Comfort food in one little bite!!!
I love Tillamook’s Pepper Jack Cheese! It has the perfect amount of spicy flavor without being too much. What a yummy combo!
.-= Cookie´s last blog ..Can You Guess What’s in This Chili? =-.
Such a simple idea but soooo wonderful! I will have to give this a shot.
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..The Puffins: beautiful little pancake muffins =-.
I just found your blog and can’t wait to try some of your recipes! I am totally a sandwich girl 🙂
Thanks so much, Kristi – glad you found me!
very cute!
The brush of chili oil is so simple but sounds so awesome. Such a great little addition that probably adds so much flavor to this grilled cheese. Your pictures are making me so hungry. I love sourdough!
.-= GrilledShane´s last blog ..Preparing for the 1st 8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational =-.
I never think of using my cookie cutters to make slider-sized sandwiches. In my house, anything spicy will be eaten first, so there will be lots of competition for these!
Tried this w/just gruyere. Really great!!!
what a great tip! do you make your own chile oil, or buy it somewhere? i bet it would be easy to make your own… 🙂
I did buy mine (near the other oils at the grocery store) but I bet it wouldn’t be hard at all to infuse your own.
yyyyum! i would love that little kick of spice- unfortunately i don’t think that my mini-chefs would. sigh. great idea to do sliders, too.
nice to find your blog, kathy! thank you for stopping by tribeca yummy mummy today. xoxo
and oh no! i missed the grilled cheese pageant entry deadline. guess i’ll be waiting around till next year… testing out various grilled cheeses of course.
Sorry we missed you, Cate! I’ll be launching the Pageant tomorrow – there’ll be a whole lot of grilled cheese inspiration. 🙂
Yum! Have you submitted this to the Grilled Cheese Academy yet? http://www.grilledcheeseacademy.com/submitrecipe
I’ve totally been on a mini food kick. These look totally cute.
.-= Culinary Cory´s last blog ..Artichoke & Roasted Red Pepper Focaccia =-.
That looks delicious. I bet this would be a bangin’ sandwich with a little truffle oil on the bread….especially paired with a nice gruyere. Mmmmm…..
.-= Shelly´s last blog ..Probably not so brief update =-.
Came across these amazing looking-delicious sounding sliders on Sunday…made them on Monday and have fallen madly in love! These are fantastic, Kathy! Thanks for sharing the recipe and helping me discover my new favourite food 🙂
I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂