Original Patty Melt Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Mix the ground meat with the ketchup, Worcestershire, onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Form the meat into 4 oblong patties in the approximate size and shape of the bread (they should be a little less than 1/2-inch-thick).
• Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until cooked to medium doneness, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to a plate.
• Wipe the skillet clean. Butter one side of half of the bread slices, then place them butter-side down in the skillet. Add a slice of cheese on top of each slice of bread, then add the patties and onions. Lay one more slice of cheese on top of the onions, then add the top slices of bread. Butter the top of the bread. Flip the sandwiches and cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Cook the remaining sandwiches with the remaining butter in the same manner.
• Cut the patty melts in half and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cover 1 side of each bread slice thoroughly and generously with butter; set aside.
• Mix ground beef, pepper, salt, and onion powder together in a bowl until thoroughly combined, but do not overmix or meat will not have the proper consistency after it is cooked. Form 3 patties to fit the shape of the bread.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, making sure patties do not break, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook until no longer pink in the centers, about 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
• While the burgers are cooking, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, bacon bits, relish, and sugar for sauce in a small bowl. Stir until mayonnaise and ketchup are well binded.
• Heat another large skillet over medium-low heat. Place 1 slice bread in the skillet, buttered-side down. Top with 2 slices Cheddar cheese, a cooked patty, and 2 slices provolone cheese. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the unbuttered side of a second slice of bread, and place sauce-side down on top of provolone. Repeat to make remaining patty melts, working in batches if necessary.
• Cook until bread is lightly toasted and cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, saute onion in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Remove and keep warm., Shape beef into two oval patties; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In the same skillet, cook patties over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 160° and meat juices run clear; drain. Remove and keep warm., Spread remaining butter over one side of each slice of bread. Place in skillet, buttered side down, and toast until lightly browned. , Combine salad dressing and horseradish. On each of two slices of toast, layer a slice of cheese, a beef patty, and half of the onion and the dressing mixture. Top with remaining toast. ,

Steps:

• In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Throw in the sliced onions and cook slowly until the onions are golden brown and soft, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, Worcestershire and some salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties on both sides until totally done in the middle.
• Assemble the patty melts this way: Slice of bread, slice of cheese, hamburger patty, a quarter of the cooked onions, another slice of cheese and another slice of bread.
• On a clean griddle or in a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and grill the sandwiches until golden brown. Remove the sandwiches and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Return the sandwiches to the skillet, flipping them to the other side. Cook until golden brown and crisp, and until the cheese is melted. Slice in half and serve immediately!

Steps:

• Place the meat on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and, using your hands, break it up into small pieces and combine evenly. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the meat into 6 portions (about 4 ounces each). Using your hands, form each portion into a ball shape by gently tossing it from one hand to the other. Form each portion into a thin patty. Each patty should be somewhat larger than a slice of the rye bread since it will shrink when cooked.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 7 minutes. Transfer the onion to a bowl.
• Wipe out the skillet; return to the heat, and heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add 2 patties and saute, turning once, until well browned and cooked to medium, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil and patties.
• Arrange 1/6 of the onion over one bread slice. Place 1 cheese slice over the onion and top with a patty. Top the patty with a slice of cheese and cover with a bread slice. Spread about 2 teaspoons of butter over the outside of each slice. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 6 sandwiches.
• Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 sandwiches and cook, turning once, until lightly browned and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining 4 sandwiches. Cut sandwiches in half crosswise and serve.

Steps:

• 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.