The Patty Melt Sandwich

As great dinner sandwiches go this is one of the finest, that’s why they say it is hard to beat patty melts: loaded with ground beef, Swiss cheese and fried onions griddled on a rye till crisp, oozing packages of salty-sweet delight oozing out of a savory delicacy. Between the butter and the onions and the cheese, the sandwiches make their own class by undercooking the burger patties slightly before assembly, so they finish while you’re grilling the sandwiches at the end.

Ingredients

unsalted butter: 6 tbsp

large onions, peeled and thinly sliced: 2

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

ground beef, at least 20 percent fat: 1 1/2 pounds

seeded rye bread: 8 slices

swiss cheese: 8 slices

How To Make The Patty Melt Sandwich

1. In a medium skillet, pour out the butter, 2 tablespoons and slowly cover the base 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.
2. In a medium to large bowl, mix together the ground beef, Worcestershire and some salt and pepper, after crushing them and creating a homogenous mixture. Form into 4 patties.
3. Melt 2 more tablespoons of the butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties on both sides until totally done in the middle.
4. Assemble the patty melts in this order: Slice of bread, slice of cheese, hamburger patty, a quarter of the cooked onions, another slice of cheese and another slice of bread and butter both exterior side of the sandwich.
5. On a clean griddle or in a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 more tablespoons of the butter again and grill the sandwiches until golden brown and crispy till you can hear the sizzle.
6. Remove the sandwiches and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet.
7. Return the sandwiches to the skillet, flipping them to the other side.
8. Cook until golden brown and crisp, and until the cheese is melted. Slice in half and serve immediately!

Trivia

• Several experts have suggested that the local Los Angeles restauranteur Tiny Naylor may have invented the patty melt in the 1930s carrying this tradition well into the 50’s and now as far as today.
• Naylor and his family were responsible for helping popularize these sandwiches in all their respective restaurants, which included Tiny Naylor's, Du-par's, and Wolfgang Puck's Granita, over the past half century or more.

Another fun Variant is that its popularity had more to do with the idea of putting the cheese in the patty which was later discovered during the 90’s.