Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

the ultimate patty melt & chips

(2 ratings)
Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
Wichita, KS

I have always loved the ubiquitous patty melt; however, there are good patty melts, and then there are… Well, you know the end to that story. To make a good patty melt you will need the right kind of patty, with the right kind of bread, the right kind of cheese, and then a few other items to seal the deal. Add some crisps or some chips and there you go. This is a quest for the ultimate patty melt. And I believe that we are up to the challenge. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.

(2 ratings)
yield 2 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 15 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For the ultimate patty melt & chips

  • MAKING THE CARMELIZED ONIONS
  • 2 Tbsp
    grapeseed oil
  • 1 md
    yellow onion, very thinly sliced
  • MAKING THE PATTIES
  • 2 Tbsp
    yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 lb
    ground chuck (about 20% fat)
  • 1/2 Tbsp
    ketchup
  • 1 clove
    garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt, kosher variety
  • 1/4 tsp
    freshly ground black pepper
  • grapeseed oil, for cooking
  • PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
  • 4 slice
    seeded rye bread
  • 2 oz
    aged sharp cheddar, thinly sliced
  • 2 oz
    swiss cheese, thinly sliced
  • 4 tsp
    sweet butter, salted
  • 4 tsp
    mayonnaise

How To Make the ultimate patty melt & chips

  • 1
    MAKING THE CARMELIZED ONIONS
  • 2
    Gather your ingredients.
  • 3
    Remove the outer skin from the onion and slice thinly.
  • 4
    Chef’s Tip: If you have a mandolin, use it to slice the onions.
  • 5
    Heat the oil in skillet over medium heat.
  • 6
    Add the onions, and slowly cook, for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • 7
    Chef’s Note: Good caramelized onions take time. Watch the pan, keep the onions active by stirring often, and add a bit of water now and then to prevent any burning.
  • 8
    The onions are done when they are a nice deep golden brown color.
  • 9
    Remove the onions from the skillet and reserve.
  • 10
    Chef’s Tip: We’ll be using the skillet for cooking the burgers; so don’t clean it out. Leave what’s left of those nice onion juices right in the pan.
  • 11
    MAKING THE PATTIES
  • 12
    Gather your ingredients.
  • 13
    Mix all the ingredients together (except the grapeseed oil).
  • 14
    Chef’s Tip: Make sure that the ingredients are thoroughly combined; however, don’t over mix… be gentile.
  • 15
    Divide the mix into two equal portions.
  • 16
    Using two pieces of parchment paper, roll out the patties until they are about 1/4-inch in thickness.
  • 17
    Chef’s Tip: So that you’re getting some meat with every bite, try to make the patties the same size as the rye bread.
  • 18
    Heat the grapeseed oil in the skillet over medium-high heat.
  • 19
    When the oil begins to shimmer (but not smoke) add the patties.
  • 20
    Cook them until they are slightly browned, but still pink in the center, about two minutes per side.
  • 21
    Transfer the patties to a plate.
  • 22
    PUTTING IT TOGETHER
  • 23
    Gather your ingredients.
  • 24
    Chef’s Tip: The Right Rye: Seeded and thinly sliced with a dense crumb to help hold in all those wonderful gooey bits.
  • 25
    Take the butter, melt in the microwave or a pan, and then brush on the four slices of rye (one side only).
  • 26
    Place the skillet over medium-to-medium high heat, and then place the rye bread, butter side down, and allow them to get nice and toasty.
  • 27
    Chef’s Note: You’ll probably have to do this in two batches, but that’s okay.
  • 28
    Take the cheddar and Swiss, crumble them and mix together.
  • 29
    Take half the cheese and spread evenly on two slices of the rye bread, on the butter-toasted side.
  • 30
    Chef’s Note: The sides of the bread that we toasted go on the inside of the sandwich. This will give the patty melt a nice toasted taste: Inside and out.
  • 31
    Take half the caramelized onions, and spread over the cheese.
  • 32
    Take the two patties and place them on top.
  • 33
    Add the reminder of the cheese.
  • 34
    Add the remainder of the onions.
  • 35
    Place the remaining rye slice on top with the butter-toasted side down (on the inside of the sandwich.)
  • 36
    Brush the top of each patty melt with a teaspoon of the mayonnaise.
  • 37
    Place the skillet over medium heat. Add the patty melts to the skillet, mayonnaise side down.
  • 38
    Use a press to weigh down the patties.
  • 39
    Chef’s Tip: For the press, you can use a standard press; however, if you don’t have one, you can use the bottom of a heavy pan, or even a brick wrapped in aluminum foil.
  • 40
    Allow the patties to cook for about 3 minutes, and remove the press and add the remaining mayonnaise to the tops of the patty melts.
  • 41
    Flip, press, and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • 42
    Chef’s Note: The time of 3 minutes is based on the heat of the pan. The goal is to get the bread nice and golden brown (not burned), and all the cheese in the patty nice and gooey.
  • 43
    Chef’s Tip: The heat of the pan is crucial. Too hot and it will burn the bread before the cheeses have a chance to get nice and gooey. Too low, and you won’t get that nice golden brown exterior.
  • 44
    When ready remove from skillet, slice, and serve with some nice crips or chips. Enjoy.
  • 45
    Chef’s Note: I like serving these with a side of warm marinara, as a dipping sauce. It really goes well with the cheeses, and the rye bread.
  • 46
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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