About
These Checkerboard Rolls look like a beautiful and delicious game... which makes it perfect for sharing on game night! One set of rolls is coated in nutty poppy and sesame seeds, while the other is adorned in golden cornmeal and sharp parmesan. But the real star is the sweet-coated ham and Swiss cheese, which makes up the heart of these snacking sandwiches. Checkerboard Rolls deserve to be kinged!
Ingredients
- For the rolls:
- 1 stick salted butter, melted and cooled, plus more, to taste, for greasing the pan
- 40 frozen unbaked dinner rolls, such as Rhodes Bake-N-Serv™ Dinner Rolls
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- For the filling:
- 1 (5-7-pound) ham, boneless, fully cooked
- 2 tablespoons whole cloves
- 1 (12-ounce) can ginger ale
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 12 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced
- Optional, for serving:
- whole-grain mustard, to taste
- orange marmalade, to taste
- onion jam, to taste
Directions
Step 1 -Using the extra butter, grease two 9x13-inch baking dishes.
Step 2 -Divide the frozen rolls between the two prepared baking dishes, spacing the rolls out evenly.
Step 3 -Cover the baking dishes with plastic wrap and let them thaw and rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Step 4 -In a bowl, add the poppy seeds and the sesame seeds and mix to combine.
Step 5 -In a separate bowl, add the cornmeal and the parmesan and mix to combine.
Step 6 -Brush about 1/2 of the stick of the melted butter over every other roll in both baking dishes.
Step 7 -Sprinkle the buttered rolls with the poppy seed-sesame mixture.
Step 8 -Brush the remaining 1/2 stick of the melted butter over the unseasoned rolls.
Step 9 -Sprinkle the buttered rolls with the cornmeal-parmesan mixture.
Step 10 -Cover the pans with plastic wrap and let them rise until they are almost touching, about 45 minutes-1 hour.
Step 11 -Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Step 12 -Score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern about 1/8-inch-deep.
Step 13 -Stud the top of the ham with the cloves.
Step 14 -Place the ham on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
Step 15 -Tent the ham with foil and bake it for 1 hour.
Step 16 -In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the ginger ale, the honey, 1/4 cup of the whole-grain mustard, and the vinegar and stir to combine.
Step 17 -Bring the glaze mixture to a boil and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes.
Step 18 -Remove the foil from the ham and brush it with 1/2 of the glaze mixture.
Step 19 -Return the ham to the oven and roast, brushing it with the remaining glaze mixture halfway through, until heated through and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
Step 20 -Let the ham rest for 10 minutes.
Step 21 -Slice the ham, cutting the slices as needed to fit onto the rolls.
Step 22 -Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
Step 23 -Bake the rolls until golden-brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Step 24 -Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes.
Step 25 -Slice open the rolls horizontally and fill them evenly with the ham slices and the Swiss cheese slices.
Step 26 -Serve the rolls with the remaining whole-grain mustard, the orange marmalade, and the onion jam.
