Crispy Bacon & Street Pickle PATTY MELTS

• servings: SERVES 4
• active time: ACTIVE TIME / 20 MIN
• total time: TOTAL TIME / 25 MIN

Ingredients

1 tablespoon finely

½ medium yellow onion minced garlic

¾ pound ground beef (preferably

1 teaspoon kosher salt

80% lean)

½/2 teaspoon freshly

5 slices bacon, cooked ground black pepper and finely crumbled

½ teaspoon cayenne

3 tablespoons sweet pepper

pickle relish

8 slices white bread

1 egg, lightly beaten

Butter, at room

temperature

Vegetable oil

8 slices American

cheese

Directions

Using a box grater, grate the onion into a bowl. Scoop up the grated onion with your hands and squeeze and discard the liquid. (You're going to wash your hands for the rest of the day. Sorry.) Return the squeezed onion to the bowl and add the beef, bacon, relish, egg, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Mix it all together using your hands, but gently. Pat out 4 thin patties and you get extra credit if you get them equal in size to the bread.

Generously spread one side of each slice of bread with softened butter.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Grease the skillet with oil and when you see it just start to smoke, cook the patties until browned and a crust forms, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and arrange 4 slices of bread, butter-side down, in the skillet. Layer each with a slice of cheese, a burger patty, and another slice of cheese. Top with a final slice of bread butter-side up.

Cook, pressing down slightly once in a while, until the bread is golden brown, crisp, and toasty, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve hot.