turkey patty melts

Oh, he floats through the air
With the greatest of ease,
This daring young (wo)man
On the flying trapeze...

your wondering what does the flying trapeze have to do with patty melts.. well i will tell you.. patty melts have been one my favorite sandwiches ever. i can even remember the name of restaurant when i first had one.. it was called the pink pony and it was in the circus circus hotel.. i've mentioned before i grew up in las vegas.. and for the most part had your typical childhood.. except for my best friend tammy.. tammy and i met when we were about 7.. she lived in my neighborhood and from the moment we met we were instant bff's!! her family where entertainers on the strip they were the flying cavarettas.. they were a trapeze performing family.. they even went to circus school when they were growing up.. can you believe that circus school how cool is that.. anytime i stayed with tammy at one point or another we ended up at the circus circus {shortened to just "circus" for those in the know..*wink* which now you are..} tammy and i would run around playing hide and seek in the dressing rooms of all the other performers {i bet they loved us}, hang out in the rafters with the lighting guys.. play on the midway for hours.. and we always ate at the pink pony!! and the first time i had a patty melt was when tammy's aunt terry ordered me one and i was hooked from that point forward.. whenever i have one i think of those carefree weekends and summers running around the hotel until wee hours of the morning and loving every minute of it.  the flying cavarettas where world champions winning the coveted title in 1976 and even performed for the queen of england.. having a friend like tammy was truly an amazing experience.. we dont talk much now, matter of fact i haven't talked to her in probably 15 years, but i think of her often and love every memory i have of her being my childhood bff.. her aunt terry was one of the only women in the world who could do a triple somersault and she now runs the terry cavaretta flying trapeze experience school in las vegas and is thinking of starting a circus school.. i wish her luck.. *big heart smile* enough from be babbling about my childhood let's get to this yummy sandwich.. i was shocked to find out up til last week my mom had never had one.. crazy.. since it's been my favorite for a good 40 years!!

turkey patty melts {i don't cook with a lot of ground beef and we like the turkey ones just as much}

prep time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 60 minutes
servings: 4

turkey patties:

1.5 lbs. ground turkey
1/4 cup part skim ricotta
2 tblsp. fresh minced parsley {optional and i opted to forget :/}
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. honey dijon
salt and pepper
olive oil

caramelized onions:

1 tblsp. butter
1 tblsp. olive oil
3 onions, sliced
salt and pepper

patty melt stuff:

8 slices of swiss cheese, i like the alpine lace
8 slices of bread, i used sourdough, rye is more traditional
caramelized onions
butter, softened {about 1/2 a stick}

instructions for cooking caramelized onions:

in a large heavy bottom pan heat butter and oil over medium heat.. once the butter is melted add onions and stir around to make sure they are coated.. add salt and pepper.. cover and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes.. then uncover, stir, and let them cook about 45 minutes.. check every now and again and stir they should become a deep golden brown color.. while they are cooking make and cook your patties..

instructions for cooking pattys:

in a large mixing bowl combine all the turkey ingredients except for the olive oil.. mix well and separate into 4 equal parts and shape into patties.. in a large cast iron skillet, two twirls around the pan with olive oil heat over medium high heat.. sear the patties on the first side until golden brown about 4-5 minutes.. flip patties and cook another 4-5 minutes on that side and until cooked all the way through..

instructions for making and cooking the melts:

place a slice of swiss cheese on 4 slices of bread, then a turkey patty, a spoonful of onions and then another piece of swiss and top with another slice of bread.. butter the bread on the outside of the sandwich.. heat a griddle over medium heat.. cook patty melts about 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown.. {i like to cover mine with a metal bowl or metal cooking lid and kinda steam them and it helps the cheese melt faster} remove when done and allow to sit for about 2 minutes.. slice and serve.. and when eating it think of me at the pink pony with scantly clad show girls.. :)

enjoy and get cook'n!!