Lunch / Dinner
Patty Melt Casserole
Sure burgers, fries, and malts are typical fast-food fare, but when they’re from your kitchen, you control the quality of ingredients.
Based on the traditional patty melt, this casserole is layers of marble rye bread, Swiss cheese, ground beef mixed with caramelized onions, and French fries. This dinner shouldn’t require any special grocery runs or ingredients, but be sure to use ground round. Its higher meat-to-fat ratio (85/15) yields a much less greasy layer. And while Thousand Island dressing is a frequent patty melt component, it varies too much in flavor from brand to brand for consistent taste. Make your own tangy sauce by mixing together mayonnaise, ketchup, and dill pickles.
Ingredients
CARAMELIZE:
MEANWHILE, WHISK:
ADD:
STIR IN:
LAYER:
Test Kitchen Tip
Try to keep the fries in a single layer on the casserole so they all get crisp
On the Side
Extreme Chocolate Malts: Blend 1 quart softened chocolate ice cream, 1¼ cups chocolate milk, ¼ cup chocolate malted-milk powder, and 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder in a blender until smooth. Serve malts immediately.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°.
Caramelize onions with sugar in oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, covered, 20–25 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, and 2 Tbsp. pickles for dressing.
Add ground round, Worcestershire, garlic, pepper, salt, and caraway seed to skillet, increase heat to high, and cook until meat is browned. Drain and discard all but 2 Tbsp. drippings.
Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes. Stir in broth and 1 cup dressing; cook to thicken into a gravy.
Layer 3 bread slices in bottom of a 7×11-inch baking dish.
Top bread with a third of the cheese, meat mixture, remaining 3 bread slices, another third of cheese, and French fries. Cook casserole until fries are crisp, 20–25 minutes.
Preheat broiler to high with rack 6 inches from element. Sprinkle remaining cheese over casserole and broil until cheese melts, 3 minutes. Drizzle casserole with some of the dressing and sprinkle top with remaining 2 Tbsp. pickles. Serve remaining dressing on side.
Stirring a little flour into the beef mixture helps thicken it (along with the dressing) so it’s creamy
There’s no need to thaw the fries first. They’ll cook and get crisp right on top of the casserole.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 1170
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 76g 116%
Saturated Fat 22g 110%
Cholesterol 126mg 42%
Sodium 2093mg 87%
Carbs 76g 25%
Fiber 7g 28%
Protein 46g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.