Classic Patty Melt
BEEF PATTY MELT ON RYE
They’re called a classic sandwich for a reason. Or should I say melt? Regardless, you can usually find a thick, cheesy melt sandwich on any restaurant menu - and with good reason. They’re often savory, but sometimes with a sweet sauce or hint of seasoning, but mostly with some gooey, melty cheese that solidifies this sandwich into something really special. Mostly being the cheese glue between two pieces of toasted bread. In this case, thin, toasted rye that happens to have a nice bit of butter, cheese and thousand island dressing.
Two Brothers Steak and Burger seasoning, Heinen’s Organic Italian Seasoning
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Heinen’s has an array of they’re own seasonings, but I like to mix their Italian seasoning with Two Brothers Steak and Burger to the ground beef to really draw out the griddle-cooked flavors in these patty melts.
Once again, Heinen’s bakery carries most breads you could ever ask for. They sell loaves that are wholly uncut and sliced loaves that make your sandwich or patty melt days a lot easier. For this patty melt recipe, we always use their rye loaves that are sliced. They have such great flavor and it’s a perfect pairing with the provolone and sharp cheddar duo.
Heinen’s CARE certified ground beef is of the highest quality. We can always tell a difference when using the best of the best. This particular beef is 85/15%, and it works well for forming that perfect thin patty.
There’s also a nice “recipe hack” to use a store-bought thousand island dressing, which I did for this recipe, but added a nice texture kick to it by loading the dressing with minced chives. It really adds to the flavor AND the presentation.
CLASSIC PATTY MELT RECIPE
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 10 min per 2 melts | Serving Size: 2+
Ingredients
rye loaf, slices (however many you need) (I only cook for 2)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 lb 85/15% ground beef or (however much you need)
1 tsp olive oil for mixing beef in bowl
1.5 tbsp steak and burger and italian seasoning mix
thousand island dressing
2 tbsp minced chives
4+ slices sharp cheddar cheese (depending on amount of melts)
4+ slices provolone cheese (depending on amount of melts)
Instructions
Thoroughly butter one side of each slice of bread. Set aside.
Combine the ground beef, seasoning in a bowl and mix until the spices are evenly distributed.
Drizzle in the olive oil and mix in gently, don’t over handle the beef.
Shape the mixture into the amount of patties you will cook to match the shape of the bread. These will need to be about a 1/4” thick. We use about a medium shaped meatball sized ball of beef and form it to the bread slice first in the general shape, then, between a folded or two sheets of parchment paper, take grill press or a flat heavier object, and make the patty VERY thin. Keep in mind they will shrink a bit. It may be a good idea to make them bigger than the bread by about a half an inch on each side. Set the patties aside .
Preheat a nonstick skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
Place the patties in the skillet and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes. Then, flip them carefully to avoid breaking, and cook them for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.
Reduce to low heat and cook for approximately 5 more minutes. The centers should be uniformly brown with no pink remaining.
Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of each patty. Each one should be 160°F.
When the patties are cooking, heat a second skillet on medium-low heat, and add both breads (butter-side down) – or as many will fit. We tend to fit 4 bread slices, for 2 melts.
Top each melt bread with two slices of cheddar cheese on one, followed by a patty and two slices of provolone on the other. Essentially, every sandwich gets half cheddar, half provolone. I do have to split the cheese slices in half to fit the rye shape.
Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the bread is lightly toasted. I cover the skillet with a lid to steam the cheese which gets a more melted look.
Everything should finish cooking about the same time. The assembly is key for our melts.
We place a patty on the cheddar rye half, then add the thousand island dressing to the patty and let it melt over the sides, then add the chives to the dressing as you like.
To finish the melt, add the provolone half of rye to the top to complete the melt. You can push down and add to broiler if you want, for a minute or two, but everything should be melted enough.
Do this to each melt, depending on how many were made!
