- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup beef or veal stock
- 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Coarse black pepper
- Sliced potato or white bread
- Softened butter, for buttering bread
- Pickle relish, preferred brand Wickles Wicked Pickle Relish
- 8 deli slices Swiss or Gruyère cheese
- Sour cream and onion or rippled potato chips
In a small skillet over medium to medium-low heat, warm the olive oil or melt butter. Add onions and season with salt and white pepper; add bay and cook low and slow until caramelized. Add stock and cook to evaporate; let cool.
In a small bowl, combine caramelized onions with crème fraiche or sour cream.
In a mixing bowl, combine beef with Worcestershire sauce and season with Kosher salt and black pepper. Make 4 very thin patties and drizzle with oil. Heat a griddle pan and cook patties 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Wipe griddle clean.
Lightly butter the bread on one side. With the buttered sides facing out, build patty melts with relish, 1 slice cheese, burger patty, 1 handful chips, some of the sour cream and onion dip, another slice of cheese and more relish; top with bread.
Grill the patty melts to deeply golden and melty. Cut in half and serve.