This past week I took on the challenge of updating another classic—the All American Patty Melt. There are foods we have grown up with that are our comfort food. These recipes remind us of what is good in life. A mouthful of a favorite can cause us to close our eyes and moan with delight. Often, however, these dishes are filled with fatty ingredients, salt and the ever-present sugar. I have learned from some modern-day chefs, like Rocco DiSpirito, that it is possible to update favorites and make them healthier without giving up the flavor and satisfaction. In fact, we should settle for nothing less. I thought I would try my hand with the All American Patty Melt
In order to update the All American Patty Melt I focused on eliminating a lot of the fat. I did this by changing the meat to turkey, limiting the oil and choosing a cheese for the top of the All American Patty Melt that has less calories in fat. The salt used was less than ½ tsp and was mixed with herbs. There was no refined sugar used in the making of this recipe.
The Updated and Healthier All American Patty Melt was a BIG hit. There was the same satisfying “mmm…”s coming from my family members. More than once there were comments like “This is really good!” and “Wow, I love the flavors!.” The verdict is in: you can update and make a long time favorite recipe healthier and equally satisfying. We now have a new classic to look forward to. The recipe is below:
Ingredients-
1 lbs ground turkey meat
¼ tsp onion salt
⅛ tsp coarsely ground pepper
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp dried minced onion
1 egg
1 tsp herbes de Provence
2 tsp olive oil, divided
Cooking Spray, Olive Oil flavored
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 pinch Gayle’s Herb Salt
1 8oz container of sliced mushrooms
1 tbls dry sherry
4 slices provolone cheese, ultra thin
4 tsp Dijon mustard
8 slices of Jewish Rye bread
Directions-
1. Place ground turkey meat and next 6 ingredients in a bowl. Mix ingredients together well.
2. Divide turkey meat mixture into 4 equal parts. Form the 4 parts into elongated oval patties (to fit better in the rye bread sandwich).
3. Spray cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. Add 1 tsp of olive oil. Place the patties in the skillet. Cook the patties for about 8 minutes, 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Add a slice of provolone to the top of each patty. Keep warm.
4. At the same time the patties are cooking, in another skillet, spray cooking spray and add the other 1 tsp of olive oil. Place the sliced onions in the heated skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Cook the mixture for 7 minutes, stirring regularly. The onions and mushrooms should be slightly browned and softened.
5. Add the sherry to the onion mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Spray olive oil cooking spray on the rye bread. Grill in skillet until toasted on both sides.
7. Assemble the All American Patty Melt ingredients. Spread 1 tsp of Dijon mustard on one side of 4 slices of bread. Place the patties on top. Separate the onion mixture into fourths. Place ½ mixture on top of each patty. Top the patties with the remaining slices of bread. Serve.
Serves 4. Serving size: 1 sandwich. Calories 457.
To make it a meal add a tossed green salad with 2 tbls of my light and lemony vinaigrette for 25 calories. Total calories for the meal: 482.
Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!
