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My father ordered a patty melt at every diner we ever walked into, and if the waitress called it a hamburger, he corrected her. A hamburger comes on a bun, he said. A patty melt comes on rye, it has onions cooked until they give up, and it goes to the griddle twice, once for the beef and once for the whole sandwich. My mother made a better one at home on a Saturday afternoon than any diner he ever sat in, and she cut it on the diagonal so he could eat the half with more onions first.
There are only a few things in a patty melt, so each one has to be right. The beef is shaped into thin patties the length of the bread and browned hard. The cheese is Swiss and cheddar together, one for the stretch and one for the flavor. The bread is rye, buttered on the outside. And the onions are the patience part: sliced thin and cooked slow in butter until they go soft, sweet and deep brown. Pale onions make a sad patty melt. Here is how slow the onions cook, and how to tell when they are done.
Why this patty melt works
- Slow onions. Cooked over medium-low heat for 25 to 35 minutes, onions turn sweet and jammy. Fast onions only burn at the edges and stay sharp in the middle.
- Thin, long patties. Shaped to the size of the rye slice, they cook fast and fill the sandwich to the corners.
- Two cheeses. Swiss melts long and stretchy, cheddar adds sharp flavor; one slice under the beef and one over the onions glues it all together.
- Rye bread. Sturdy rye holds the juices without going soggy and toasts to a crackling crust.
- A second trip to the skillet. Grilling the built sandwich in butter melts the cheese all the way through and crisps the bread.
Ingredients
Makes 4 patty melts. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the onions
- 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 600g)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28g)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
For the patties
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef, 80/20 (570g)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
To build
- 8 slices rye bread
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (42g)
Use a sturdy sliced rye, with or without caraway, as your family likes it. An 80/20 ground beef has enough fat to stay juicy in a thin patty.
How to make patty melt
- Cook the onions first. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter with the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and the salt and stir to coat.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring every few minutes, for 25 to 35 minutes, until they are soft, sweet and an even deep golden brown. If they start to stick or darken at the edges, add a spoon of water and scrape the pan. Scrape them into a bowl.
- While the onions cook, divide the beef into 4 pieces and shape each into a thin oval patty about the length and width of a slice of rye, a little bigger than the bread because it shrinks.
- Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder and sprinkle it on both sides of the patties.
- Wipe the skillet, set it over medium-high heat and brown the patties 2 or 3 minutes per side, until well browned and just cooked through. Lift them onto a plate and pour off the fat. Wipe the skillet again.
- Build each sandwich: a slice of rye, a slice of Swiss, a patty, a quarter of the onions, a slice of cheddar and a second slice of rye.
- Butter the outside of both slices of each sandwich.
- Set the skillet over medium-low heat and grill the sandwiches, two at a time, pressing gently once with a spatula, for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the bread is deep golden and crackling and the cheese is running out of the sides.
- Rest them for 1 minute, cut on the diagonal and serve hot.
Tips that make the difference
- Do not rush the onions with high heat. The color comes from time, and that sweetness is the heart of the sandwich.
- Grill the sandwiches on lower heat than the patties. Too hot, and the rye burns before the cheese melts.
- Press once, gently. Pressing hard squeezes the juice out of the beef.
- Cook the onions a day ahead if you like; warm them in the skillet before building.
Variations
- Sourdough melt. Use thick sourdough in place of rye for a milder sandwich.
- All Swiss. Use two slices of Swiss and skip the cheddar, the way many diners do.
- Mushroom melt. Cook a handful of sliced mushrooms with the onions for the last 10 minutes.
- Sauce. Serve with a little dish of mayonnaise stirred with ketchup and a spoon of chopped pickle for dipping.
Storage and make-ahead
Patty melts are best eaten straight from the skillet.
The caramelized onions keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and the shaped raw patties for 1 day.
To reheat a leftover sandwich, warm it in a dry skillet over low heat, covered, for a few minutes per side.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to caramelize onions for a patty melt?
About 25 to 35 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes, until they are soft and evenly deep golden brown. There is no shortcut that tastes the same.
What is the difference between a patty melt and a hamburger?
A patty melt is served on rye bread instead of a bun, with caramelized onions and melted cheese, and the whole sandwich is grilled in butter like a grilled cheese.
What cheese goes on a patty melt?
Swiss is the diner classic. Cheddar added on the other side gives more flavor; American cheese melts smoothly if you prefer.
Can I use other bread?
Yes. Sourdough or a sturdy white bread works, though rye is the classic and holds up best.
Cook the onions slow, cut it on the diagonal, and give the half with more onions to whoever ordered it first.
Old-Fashioned Diner Patty Melt on Rye
A classic diner patty melt: thin seasoned beef patties, onions cooked slowly in butter until deep brown, Swiss and cheddar on rye bread, grilled in butter in a skillet until crackling and melted.
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef, 80/20
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 slices rye bread
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Cook the onions first. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter with the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and the salt and stir to coat.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring every few minutes, for 25 to 35 minutes, until they are soft, sweet and an even deep golden brown. If they start to stick or darken at the edges, add a spoon of water and scrape the pan. Scrape them into a bowl.
- While the onions cook, divide the beef into 4 pieces and shape each into a thin oval patty about the length and width of a slice of rye, a little bigger than the bread because it shrinks.
- Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder and sprinkle it on both sides of the patties.
- Wipe the skillet, set it over medium-high heat and brown the patties 2 or 3 minutes per side, until well browned and just cooked through. Lift them onto a plate and pour off the fat. Wipe the skillet again.
- Build each sandwich: a slice of rye, a slice of Swiss, a patty, a quarter of the onions, a slice of cheddar and a second slice of rye.
- Butter the outside of both slices of each sandwich.
- Set the skillet over medium-low heat and grill the sandwiches, two at a time, pressing gently once with a spatula, for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the bread is deep golden and crackling and the cheese is running out of the sides.
- Rest them for 1 minute, cut on the diagonal and serve hot.
