Patty Melt

I am not sure who married the burger to a grilled cheese, but I have been a fan of patty melts since my childhood in the seacoast of New Hampshire when the local burger joint, Friendly’s, was the go-to lunch spot for the 12 to 17 year old crowd.  They mastered the Fribble, their version of a massive milk-shake that was a perfect compliment to their patty melt, which was a burger put in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich.  It was delicious and greatly influenced our own version, which is packed with more flavor that makes an amazing lunch treat or snack.

Using a high quality burger mix with a powerful kick of ingredients blended in makes this a simple and delicious dish.  The caramelized onions brings the sandwich up to another level of flavor.  It might take 45 minutes but the golden onions really make the sandwich extraordinary.

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of 80:20 mix of freshly ground meat, mixed with 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1 garlic clove minced, each patty should be ~4 ounces, made into a very very think patty that will cover a slice of bread
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, thickly sliced at the deli or just shredded block of cheddar
• 1 loaf of a hearty bread, pre-sliced
• Butter
• 3 cups of Caramelized onions, made with red or yellow onions

Making It

• Roll the meat into 4 oz balls and then press the patties with your hand so they become very thin and can cover the bread
• Invest in a large double burner cast iron griddle and put over your grill that is set to a medium-high flame, so you can grill the burgers then toast them on the griddle
• Put the patties on the grill for two minutes each side, 2-3 minutes each side
• Brush the outside of each piece bread with butter then lay a slice of cheese on the top and bottom of each piece of bread, put 1/4 cup of the caramelized onions on the cheese on top of the bread, lay the burger on the cheese on the bottom half, out together then put on griddle until golden brown on each side and serve