Patty Melts

When I first saw this patty melt on The Pioneer Woman's website, I thought...."now THIS is a hungry cop sandwich."  Besides Ree Drummond's awesome sense of humor, I love all the 'cowboy/cowgirl' comfort food (as she likes to call it.)  I have made two other recipes from her show and they were awesome - the potato skins, and her spicey whiskey sliders, but as good as the patty melt looked on her website, I was disappointed (my fault - see below). I was hoping my taste buds would explode, but they didn't.  It still needs some perfecting before it's Po-Po ready.  Looks pretty though, don't you think?

I ran into a few problems with this recipe that resulted in (my) patty melt not turning out as I had hoped:
1)  I used Baby Swiss cheese instead of regular Swiss (my store was out of regular).
2)  I used white bread instead of rye (I don't care for rye).
3)  Onions need more salt and pepper.
4)  Ground beef needs more Dale's Steak Seasoning or Worcestershire.
5)  I don't typically care for hamburgers on the stove (grill yes; stove no).
6)  I'm not a real cook, so I don't know what I'm doing half the time.

Here's what you need - I wanted regular Swiss cheese but my store was out of it.  

Saute onions in butter (or vegetable oil) -- I used butter

Shape your patty before you cook it so it's about the size of the bread you're using

Lay buttered bread (face down) on griddle or clean skillet and top w/ Swiss cheese

Patty Melt 
Adapted from this recipe

1 pound of ground beef
1 large onion
Butter
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. Dales Steak Seasoning (or Worcestershire Sauce)
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices White or Rye Bread

In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat and add your onions. I sliced my onions in thin whole rings, but it's actually easier to eat if you cut the onion in half before slicing.  Stir occasionally until the onions are golden brown and soft. 

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt & pepper, and Dale's Steak Seasoning (or Worcestershire sauce). 

Make 4 patties shaping them to fit your bread (width and length).  

Cook the patties on both sides until the middle is cooked through.  

Over medium heat, and using a clean griddle or skillet:

• Lightly butter one slice of bread and lay face down on grill or skillet
• Add one slice of Swiss cheese
• Add cooked hamburger patty on top of Swiss cheese
• Add sauted onions on top of hamburger patty
• Add one slice of Swiss cheese on top of sauted onions
• Top with second slice of lightly buttered bread (buttered side up)

Cook until golden brown and crisp, and until cheese is melted.

Slice in half and serve immediately!