I would say just about anyone loves a good, juicy beef burger on a perfectly soft bun. The patty melt is all of this and more, but, it is taken to the next level because instead of the soft bun, rye bread is spread with mayonnaise then toasted until brown and crispy. When you bite through the crispy bread, through the sweet onions, to the creamy melted cheese and finally to the burger, it really is the ultimate bite, after bite… I have to stop, my mouth is watering! When it comes to a classic patty melt recipe, there are 4 non-negotiable components. Rye bread, a beef burger patty, simply seasoned, melted Swiss cheese and caramelized onions. Any other additions are optional and a personal choice and welcome at any time, but the classic always comes first for me.
Shape the burger to fit the bread
Because of the shape of the rye bread, I feel it’s important to shape the beef patties accordingly. Rather than the standard round burger, which leaves you with a circle of meat in them middle of this long piece of bread, oval is the better shape. This way the entire slice of bread is covered with beef patty. You’ll see in the video how well this works to fill the bread from end-to-end so you are getting juicy burger in every bite of this marvelous sandwich.
This patty melt is quick and easy to make, except the onions do need some time to cook. They cook low and slow for at least 30 minutes, but what you get are the sweetest, softened, best tasting way to cook onions known to man. In closing, I just want to share the experience of my first patty melt after moving to California from England. It was in the iconic Mel’s Diner on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles (I couldn’t have planned it better) and I thought I may never eat a regular burger again.
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