Lamb Slider Bar with Pickles and Dips

# of colors depends on how many fun sauces and pickles you can add!

THE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE

This recipe was originally featured in a 2024 Holiday Menu collaboration with my friend and professional retreat chef Ali Rose. The full PDF Holiday menu can be found here.

What I adore about this slider bar is its versatility — it caters to all tastes and dietary preferences. It’s like a blank canvas begging for colorful and fun additions. I love to highlight a standout protein, and for this gathering, we’re going all out with braised lamb shanks. You can easily complement your spread with a store-bought rotisserie chicken or a holiday ham. Feeling adventurous? Whip up your own sauces and spreads, or grab your favorite store-bought versions to save time so you can enjoy the company around the table!

Yields: 8-10 servings

Total time: 3 hours braising, 15 minutes preparing dips

WHAT YOU NEED

TOOLS

• Large serving board or large roll of parchment to serve directly on your table (your Boos Block if you have one is a great thing to serve on!)

• A few small bowls for sauces and condiments

INGREDIENTS

• 2 dozen refined grain free slider buns or rolls or choice (I just discovered bread sysly rolls and am obsessed,they are gluten free fermented sourdough, they’re also vegan and contain no seed oils or other funky ingredients, so they are absolutely my new go-to! Use code SONJA for 15% off your first order)

• 2-3 flavored condiments (see below)

• 1 cup quick pickles

• 1 cup beet pickled onions

• 3-4 lbs Holiday Braised Lamb Shank

HOW TO DO IT

1. Prep your slider area: Set a large cutting or serving board, or a selection of smaller boards out on your serving table. Alternatively, you can cover your serving table with a roll of parchment to serve directly on the table.

2. Warm your rolls: Preheat your oven to 250°. Separate slider buns and slice them in half. Wrap buns in aluminum foil and warm in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through. Place the warmed buns in a basket or along one edge of your serving board.

3. Add colorful condiments: Spoon flavored condiments into small bowls and set next to buns on your serving table. I like to have at least three different options of sauces, but you can always add more… The saucier the better!

4. Prepare lamb: Pull the meat off of your lamb shanks and place in a large bowl. Using two forks, loosely shred the meat until it resembles pulled pork. Place ⅓ of the shredded meat into a bowl, or pile directly onto a serving board next to the buns and condiments. Put the remaining shredded meat into a baking dish or back into your Dutch oven and keep it warm in your oven to replenish as needed.

5. Add pickles! Slice your quick pickles into rounds — you can add additional store-bought pickles for a bit of variety if you like. Pile pickle rounds onto the serving tray or place in a small bowl next to the lamb. Place pickled onions into a bowl or directly onto a serving platter next to the pickles.

6. Enjoy! Your slider bar is ready to rock! I like to put an assortment of plates and napkins near the buns, and then put my side salads down towards the end by the pickles to create an easy build-your-own set up.

SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS

• The main focus of the slider bar will be the beautiful holiday braise that we’ve created, so I like to use a mixture of homemade and store-bought, condiments and pickles to up our serving display.

• For the condiments, I like to start with a good quality mayonnaise or mustard and then add some fun festive mix in to create a unique condiment. Here are a few of my favorite combos:

  Mayo-Based:

  Take ½ Cup of your fave Mayo (I use Primal Kitchen avocado mayo, if you order direct and use code SONJA10 you can get 10% off) and add:

  • 1 tbsp capers, chopped dill, juice of ½ lemon

  • 1 tbsp cranberry sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp hot sauce

  • 1 tbsp harissa, 1 tsp za’atar, juice of 1 lime

  • 2 cloves roasted garlic, chopped chives

  Mustard-based:

  Take ½ Cup stone ground mustard and add:

  • 1 tbsp frozen cherries or cranberries, defrosted and chopped

  • 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp hot sauce

  • 1 tbsp apple, toasted fennel seeds

  • 1 tsp each garlic, paprika, and cumin

• Next to sauce and meat, my other must-have on a slider is a good pickle. I love a good classic dill, so feel free to grab your favorite store-bought dill pickles and slice them up, or you can create some easy quick pickles at home, like this:

  Quick Dilly Pickles:

  Take one English cucumber and slice into ⅛” rounds. Place into a jar with 1 tbsp whole coriander and 4-5 sprigs fresh dill. Add 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp raw sugar, and 1 Cup rice or white wine vinegar. Fill with water until cucumbers are submerged. Let sit for at least two hours — ideally overnight — before serving. 

  Beet Pickled Onions:

  Thinly sliced two red onions into half rings. Place into a jar with one small raw red beet, quartered. Add 1 tsp salt and rice or white wine vinegar until onions are submerged. Let sit for at least two hours — ideally overnight — before serving.

• Finally, here are a few additional things you could add to zhuzh up your slider board even more.

  • Sliced jalapenos

  • Crumbled feta or goat cheese

  • Sauerkraut or kimchi 

  • Caramelized onions or mushrooms 

  • Chopped fresh herb