California Patty Melts Recipes

CLASSIC PATTY MELT

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.

DINER-STYLE PATTY MELT

Steps:

• Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, cook, stirring continually, for 3 minutes. Cover with a lid and allow onions to caramelize, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine ground beef, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Shape ground beef into 4 rectangular patties.
• Cook patties in a skillet over medium-high heat, flipping once, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add a slice of Swiss cheese to each patty and top each with an equal amount of caramelized onions.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Spread 1 teaspoon butter over each slice of bread. Broil until lightly golden and toasted. Assemble patty melts and serve immediately.

PATTY MELTS

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. ,

PATTY MELTS

Steps:

• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Push to one side of the skillet; add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then mix the mushrooms and onions together and cook until the onions are golden, about 10 more minutes. Add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, mix the turkey, beef and the remaining 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Shape into 4 equal-size oval patties.
• Wipe out the skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Season the patties with salt and pepper and cook until browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook through, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Divide the onions and mushrooms among 4 bread slices; top with a slice of cheese, a patty, another slice of cheese and another bread slice. Wipe out the skillet; add 1 tablespoon olive oil and place over medium heat. Cook the sandwiches in two batches until the bread is toasted and the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes per side, adding the remaining 2 teaspoons oil as needed.

PATTY MELTS

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!

CALIFORNIA PATTY MELTS

Steps:

• In a medium-size saute pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
• Add the onion, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
• Remove cover, and continue to cook the onion over low heat until very soft and golden, about 45 minutes longer, stirring to keep onions from sticking to pan.
• Start up grill or preheat a broiler.
• While onions are cooking and after grill is lit, combine ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl.
• Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix ingredients together well.
• Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions, and form into thin, round patties to fit the bread slices.
• Cut the cheese into 4 pieces a little smaller that the patties.
• Place a piece of cheese on 4 of the patties, cover with the remaining patties, and press edges together to seal and encase the cheese.
• When grill is ready, brush the grill rack or broiler rack with vegetable oil.
• Place the patties on the grill rack or under the broiler and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
• With a wide spatula, turn the patties and cook until done to preference, about 4 minutes longer for medium rare.
• During the last few minutes of cooking, place the bread slices on the outer edges of the grill to toast lightly or prepare in toaster.
• Top 4 slices of the bread with the patties, pile on the onion, and cover.
• with the remaining bread slices.

CALIFORNIA MELT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven broiler.
• Lay the toasted bread out on a baking sheet. Top each slice of bread with 1/4 of the avocado, mushrooms, almonds, and tomato slices. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese.
• Broil the open-face sandwiches until the cheese melts and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Serve the sandwiches warm.

PATTY MELTS

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.

PATTY MELTS

Steps:

• Arrange onion slices on a plate and drizzle vinegar over top. Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch thick patty. Season patties with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large grill pan over medium heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray and add onion. Cover and cook for 6 minutes, flipping halfway. Remove from pan, cover, and keep warm.
• Heat the grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat with more cooking spray and add patties. Cook until no longer pink in the centers, about 3 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). Remove patties to a plate, drain and discard any grease, and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.
• Spread Dijon-mayonnaise blend evenly over all bread slices. Layer 4 of the slices with 2 tablespoons Jarlsberg cheese, 1 beef patty, 2 onion slices, and 2 tablespoons Jarlsberg. Place remaining bread slices mustard-side down on top of the sandwiches.
• Heat the grill pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to the pan and place a cast iron or other heavy skillet on top, pressing gently to flatten sandwiches. Cook until bread is toasted, about 3 minutes per side, leaving the skillet on top as they cook.