Perfect Patty Melt

I love patty melts. I love rye bread and caramelized onions. This is such a great way to consume beef. This is the best recipe I've tried for making a very satisfying iconic sandwich.

The link goes into much detail as to "why" I'm doing the things that I'm doing in this recipe. For more info please read this.

Perfect Patty Melt

(from here)

1 lb ground beef (I used 85/15)

1 large yellow onion

American cheese

Swiss cheese

butter

Deli-style "white" rye bread

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First, form your patties. I used 4 oz per patty.

Since my bread was kind of oblong shaped, I decided to form my patties to fit.

I made them just slightly larger than the bread to make up for the inevitable shrinking of the patty in the pan.

First thing you want to do is toast the INSIDE of the bread. I know. Trust me.

Butter up and grill and set aside.

Season your patties generously right before cooking.

Toss into a hot pan and make sure you get some char on them.

Cook to your desired doneness. I like them on the medium/rare side.

So, now that we have all the flavor of the burger in the pan, we can make the onions.

Just toss them into the pan and make sure you're cooking over your highest heat.

Add 1/4 cup of water to deglaze the pan and scrape up the bits on the bottom.

After the water is cooked off you can see how fast the onions are starting to caramelize.

This method is way faster than the low and slow method you've probably done in the past.

Add another 1/4 cup of water and continue to cook over the highest heat you have.

Meanwhile, prep your bread.

Lay the toasted insides up cover with cheese.

I used one slice per side, but next time I'll use TWO per side. The ooziness of the cheese is part of the experience.

When your onions are done (shouldn't take more than 20 minutes) remove from the heat and get ready to built your patty melts.

Add a pat of butter to your frying pan (mine was too hot, try not to let it brown on you).

Put one slice of bread down and top with as many onions as you can fit.

Add the burger patty and top with the other slice of bread.

Cook over med/low heat until you get a nice crust on the bottom.

Add a little more butter to the pan and flip.

Be careful not to lose your toppings.

Grill until the cheese has melted and the burger has warmed through.

Overall, this was hands down, the best patty melt I've ever had.

It was sweet, salty, cheesy and delicious. You don't need ketchup or mustard because the cheese and onions form an organic sauce that penetrates the sandwich.

Absolutely fantastic sandwich.

Enjoy!