Sliders are a kind of subset of the overbaked cupcake trend. The appeal of small food, like dogs, is not hard to understand. It’s cute. And fun. And cute. And if I were a restaurateur, I’d be all over it, as you can usually get away with charging proportionately more for small food and thus squeeze out a higher profit margin. But this particular craze has been going on since the early ’90s and has reached the point where some people are gratuitously sliderizing just about anything. Do we really need Meatloaf Sliders? Or, Steakhouse Sliders with Mini Steak Fries?

Sometimes, a woman just wants dinner.

Where sliders are still perfect is the party. Next time you’re hosting one at your house, try out these three delicious versions.

– These Asian Pork Belly Sliders make me wish I lived in Salt Lake City so I could eat in this restaurant. Seriously, they sound incredible. I think I might be trying my own knockoffs soon.

– Like pork belly, oysters (especially fried ones) are super rich, lending themselves to small portions. This recipe for Oyster Po Boy Sliders offers solid technique, but I’d skip the pickle and tomato and spice them up with a pickled kim chi slaw like the one in this video. Fast forward to 9 minutes.

– Let’s not forget the vegetarians before they give up on our compassionate carnivore everyone-fits-in-the-salon ethos. This recipe for Chickpea Sliders with Greek Tzatziki sounds fantastic. Chickpeas are also rich enough that you may not want to eat a standard-sized sandwich portion.

Editor’s note: This is a new column by Vanessa Barrington. For the lighter side of all things foodie, read Overcooked weekly. Overcooked: helping you make the most of today’s trendiest ingredient…before it’s overdone. Be sure to catch Vanessa’s original EcoSalon column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Image: Stu Spivack via Flickr

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