This is a simple dish that is surprisingly good, I might even say addictive. For the holidays, we have started calling the Naughtly but Nice Tiny Bites.
Use it as a quick snack on whole slices of bread, or on slices of baguette. Or, make it a little more elegant by cutting circles of bread with a cookie cutter. It is a great way of using up leftover hard cheeses that you have in the fridge, although Parmesan is the best. The onions or shallots are a must - they cut the richness of the mayo and cheese.
Ingredients:
16 baguette slices, or 4 quartered pieces of sliced sandwich bread (or use a cookie cutter to cut circles from the bread slices)
A generous ⅓ cup grated Parmesan or a combination of hard cheeses
½ cup very finely chopped red onion or shallot
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon harissa, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
A few grinds of black pepper
½ cup or more mayonnaise
Toast the bread slices on one side only.*
Combine the cheeses, onion, parsley, harissa, and salt and pepper to taste with enough mayonnaise to hold everything together.
Mound this mixture on the untoasted side of each bread slice and place them under the broiler until golden brown and puffy. Serve right away.
*Alternatively, bake the slices in a 425ºF oven, in which case there is no need to toast them on one side first. Pile the cheese mix on top and bake until golden and bubbling, 5-10 minutes.