Yum! We would and we really do LOVE a patty melt anytime! It is actually one of Allen’s all time favorites. What is there not to love? Caramelized onions, Swiss cheese all melted on some delicious buttery toasted rye bread. Total comfort food and deliciousness!
Another satisfying recipe for you to make for your family with items you probably have on hand, especially ground beef and onions. I always have ground beef and I always have onions, I always have butter, and I just happened to have 4 slices of Swiss left and I had rye bread. In an ideal world of which we don’t have right now because of sheltering in place, etc., we could run out to the store to grab the essential ingredients, so if you don’t have Swiss cheese, use what you have.
Don’t have rye bread? Use what you have. It won’t be authentic but you will have a delicious sandwich your family will love with the luscious caramelized onions, buttery bread whatever bread it is and melted cheese that doesn’t end!
What we eat isn’t always about that grocery list that we are going to make and run out and buy things we don’t have on hand to make that particular recipe! Use what you have on hand and just create dishes that give you comfort. I look forward to mealtime because it’s just a time you can forget everything and eat delicious, yummy food! It just takes a little effort to create delicious food!! Is a grilled cheese one of the most comforting foods there is? Add some caramelized onions and a ground beef patty and you will truly be in heaven.
who’d love a patty melt?
I never buy ground beef above 80/20 and occasionally I buy it with even less lean and more fat, like 73/27 if I’m making a smash-burger. You honestly need the fat to create a wonderful ground beef patty. Speaking of smash-burgers, here’s my recipe that you have to try!: https://the2spoons.com/heavenly-homemade-smashburgers/
I just used a regular Swiss cheese on the patty melt and I used Oroweat Jewish Rye bread. Here’s a link if you can look for when you do get out to the store: https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568835/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=10533690&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FOroweat-Jewish-Rye-Bread-16-Oz%2F10533690
Here’s the recipe for these great patty melt’s!! Enjoy!
Patty Melts
Ingredients
- 4-6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef, at least 20 percent fat (80/20 or 73/27)
- 8 slices seeded rye bread
- 8 slices Swiss cheese, about 1/2 pound
Instructions
- Caramelize onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet set over high heat. When it foams, add the onions and sprinkle with salt. Do not stir immediately. Wait 1 minute, then begin to stir frequently over high heat for 5 minutes or so, or until the onions have released some liquid and started to become translucent.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, for what will seem like a very long time, until the onions are fully melted and dark golden brown, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Remove onions, and set them and the skillet aside. (You can caramelize the onions a day ahead of time and reheat slowly when you’re ready to cook.)
- Cook the burgers. Add the remaining butter to the skillet in which you cooked the onions, and place it over medium heat. Gently divide the ground beef into 4 small piles, and then lightly form these into patties that are like flattened meatballs, roughly the shape of a slice of rye bread. Season aggressively with salt and pepper.
- Increase the heat under skillet to high. Put the patties into the skillet with plenty of distance between them, and allow them to cook, without moving, for approximately 2 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the patties over, and continue to cook for another 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, then remove the patties from the skillet, and allow them to rest. (They will at this point be rare inside.)
- Decrease the heat below the skillet to medium, and put four pieces of rye bread into the butter and fat that remains from cooking the patties. Top each piece with a slice of cheese, then a patty, then some of the caramelized onions, and finally another slice of cheese and another slice of rye. Use the spatula to press down on the packages, and after about a minute or so, carefully turn over each patty to begin to brown the other side. (You may need to add the additional butter.) Cook until the cheese is fully melted and the bread is golden brown and crisp on both sides. Slice in half before serving.