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Perfect Patty Melts

Patty melts are the ultimate hot sandwich, with juicy smashed burgers layered with melty cheese and caramelized onions, all grilled up in crisp sourdough bread.

Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 patty melts
Calories: 706 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

caramelized onions
  • 2 yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp` sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • dry sherry for deglazing the pan (you can use water instead.)
patty melts
  • 1 lb 80/20 ground beef (you can use up to 1.25 lb)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp deydrated minced onion (optional but delicious)
  • 4 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
  • 4 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 8 slices of sourdough, rye, or white bread
  • 8 thin slices cheese Swiss cheese (use extra to taste or to fit your bread)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. First start the onions. Add the onions, olive oil, salt and sugar to a heavy pot or skillet and cook on medium heat, stirring often. They will first lose their moisture, and then slowly start to turn a golden. If they start to brown right away, you've got your heat too high. Use a splash of dry sherry to deglaze the pan and scrape up any browning that has accumulated on the pan. Set aside.
  2. While the onions are cooking, mix the ground beef with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders, and dried onion, if using. Mix with your fingers until everything is well combined, but don't wover work the meat or it can get tough.
  3. Divide the meat mixture into four equal parts.
  4. Roll the meat into a rough ball shape, then flatten into thin smashed burgers a little bigger than the size of your bread slices. Don't worry about being perfect here, just approximate. Note: you want the patties to be a little larger than your bread because they will shrink as they cook.
  5. Mash together the softened butter and mayo until smooth (it's ok if it's a little lumpy.)
  6. Spread the mixture on one side of each piece of bread.
  7. Heat a skillet on medium high and add a pat of butter. Fry the burgers, working in batches if necessary, until they're browned and just done through. These will not take long to cook. Note: I like to flatten the patties as they cook with my spatula to make sure they don't puff up.
  8. Place 1 slice of cheese on the unbuttered side of four slices of bread.
  9. Place the cooked burger on top of the cheese.
  10. Add a layer of caramelized onions to the burger and spread them out across the whole sandwich.
  11. Top that with another slice of cheese.
  12. Add your top slices of bread, butter side up.
  13. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat until hot but not super hot. Grill the patty melts until golden on the outside and melty inside, flipping once. The aim is to give the cheese enough time to melt while the bread is toasting. Note: I will sometimes cover the skillet after flipping to contain the heat.
  14. Slice in half and serve asap.

Notes

  • use lean ground beef
  • use thin sliced bread
  • spread the outside of the bread with a thin layer of  mayo instead of the thick layer of mayo and butter
  • use low fat cheese

Nutrition Information

Calories 706kcal (35%) Carbohydrates 33g (11%) Protein 26g (52%) Fat 50g (77%) Saturated Fat 18g (90%) Trans Fat 2g Cholesterol 116mg (39%) Sodium 1720mg (72%) Potassium 472mg (13%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 362IU (7%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 113mg (11%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4patty melts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 706

% Daily Value*

Calories 706kcal 35%
Carbohydrates 33g 11%
Protein 26g 52%
Fat 50g 77%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Trans Fat 2g 100%
Cholesterol 116mg 39%
Sodium 1720mg 72%
Potassium 472mg 10%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 362IU 7%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 113mg 11%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.