Bacon Patty Melt

The sandwich is simple, but so darn delicious that I can trust you will not miss the beef.

Start by cooking down onions. In a medium-sized skillet, add oil and bring to medium-low heat. Toss in all of the onions. Season with a pinch of salt, stir, and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring along the way. Low and slow is the key. During this time, cook bacon. Again, go with another large skillet, medium-low heat, and let the bacon cook until crisp, flipping them from time to time. Reserve the bacon grease for later use and strain the bacon on some paper towel until ready to serve.

Your onions should be ready. The bacon is ready. The question is, are you ready? This is where things get exciting (well, the smell of bacon and onions are exciting).

Wipe out the bacon skillet and return it to a medium-low heat. Butter one side of each piece of bread.

Place a slice of bread, buttered side down onto the skillet. If you are using mustard (I prefer), add it to the bottom slice. Add cheese slices to the bread, then load on the onions, top with the sliced bacon, add the remaining cheese slices to cover, and top with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.

Let this cook, untouched on medium-low heat for about 3–5 minutes, then light the bottom gently and make sure you get a good crust. You want that crunch, that buttery crust. Once nicely browned, gently flip over and toast the other side.

Now you should be ready to plate and serve. Slice on the diagonal and dig in.