Recipe: how to make the beefy, gooey, ridiculously indulgent patty melt from Rose and Sons diner

PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 42 minutes
Serves 6

CHILI MAYO

1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Sriracha
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard, preferably Kozlik’s
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 dash Worcestershire sauce

CARMELIZED ONIONS

3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium cooking onions, thinly sliced patties

PATTIES

3 lb good-quality ground beef
1 ½ tsp salt and pepper
½ cup butter, at room temperature
1 loaf rye bread, sliced
1 lb cheddar cheese, sliced
¼ cup olive oil

1. To prepare chili mayo, stir all ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. Mayo will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to a week.

2. To prepare onions, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes until caramelized. Let cool. If making ahead, onions will keep in the fridge for 4 days.

3. Divide ground beef into 6 patties. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 225°F. Spread butter on one side of each bread slice. Sandwich cheese between bread slices with butter sides out. Set a heavy-bottomed or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add sandwiches. (You will need to cook in batches.) Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side until bread turns golden and cheese melts. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven until burgers are ready.

5. Increase heat to medium-high. Coat cast iron pan with oil. Add patties. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden and medium-rare. Let burgers rest. Open grilled cheese sandwiches and slot in patties. Top patties with caramelized onions and drizzles of chili mayo.

TIP
A traditional griddle-style burger like Rose and Sons’ requires a cast iron pan. Our favourite is the seasoned skillet from Lodge Cast Iron Cookware, available to order online at lodgemfg.com.

ANTHONY ROSE
ROSE AND SONS
When Anthony Rose ate his first patty melt, he was training at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. One bite of the retro sandwich, a cheeseburger on rye, swayed his focus to all things greasy, gooey and not so good for you. “I thought, what the fuck is this? I have to have more of it.” At his Dupont diner, he serves twists on those hedonistic American classics, like pickle-brined fried chicken and cornbread smothered in brie. The standout, of course, is his take on the patty melt, which he elevates with lean hand-ground chuck and caramelized onions. It’s an unholy indulgence, sizzled hot and fast on the griddle.

Recipes developed by Victoria Walsh. Recipe photography by Raina and Wilson. Illustrations by Aleksandar Janicijevic. Interviews by Meaghan Binstock, Chantal Braganza, Matthew Hague, Peter Saltsman, Courtney Shea and Caroline Youdan.