Black Bean and Corn Sliders with Bacon Sweet Potato Fries

Summer is waning, my friends! I hate to admit it, but it's true. It'll be September before you know it. That means we need to enjoy it while we can with some summer grill recipes.

Or if you're me you just make black bean sliders and sweet potato fries any time you feel like it---summer or not!

Notes: Don't have a grill pan? Never fear! Just use olive oil or vegetable oil and shallow fry the sliders in a big skillet. The sliders won't have the pretty grill marks, but they'll taste just as good.

I roasted my corn in the husk before I stripped it from the ear. If you want to do the same thing, just trim the loose pieces of husk and the tassel off, run the whole thing under water for a minute, and then stick it right on the oven rack for 30 minutes at 350. The roasted-in-the-husk flavor is awesome. If you don't feel like doing this step, no worries. Just strip the kernels right off the ear straight into the bowl.

I find the easiest way to make fries is to cut the sweet potato in half and then cut each half into strips. Then cut those strips into smaller fry-sized pieces. There's no science to it---just make them look like fries.

I didn't have any crumbled bacon, but I had leftover bacon grease in the fridge from the last time I made bacon. If you don't have any, just use butter or olive oil for the fries. It will work just fine.

Slider buns are fairly easy to find nowadays. I found mine at Trader Joe's, but I've seen them in Target and other grocery stores as well. If you can't find them, any small roll will do.

Ingredients for sliders (makes about 8 sliders):
1 15 oz. can black beans
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ear of corn

For fries:
2 large sweet potatoes
6 teaspoons bacon grease, divided
Salt
Pepper
Crumbled bacon for topping (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 450. Line two baking sheets with foil.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fries. Spread them in one layer on the baking sheets. Pour 3 teaspoons of bacon grease over each tray of fries. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are tender and they start to turn dark brown. Stir the fries about halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning.

To make the sliders, drain the beans (don't rinse). Strip the kernels off the ear of corn. In a large bowl, mash the beans and corn together with a potato masher. Be sure to leave some of the beans and kernels whole. Lightly beat the egg and add it to the bowl along with the bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, salt, hot sauce, brown sugar, and taco seasoning. Mix everything together until it forms a thick paste. Form small patties and then let stand 5 minutes.

Heat your grill pan on medium-high. Grill each slider about 3 minutes per side until a crust forms on the outside. Remove from the grill and transfer to a plate. Tent them with foil to keep them warm while you grill the rest.

Top with your favorite hamburger toppings and serve with hot sweet potato fries. Enjoy!