One of my favorite places to eat, particularly during high school and the later years, is a good old-fashioned diner. Basic menu, something for everyone, reasonably priced … and comfort food to the nth degree. One of my favorite diners used to have jukeboxes at every booth and became one of our go-to spots when I was in my late teens and early twenties. We’d pile into a booth after a game. Or a school concert. Or Christmas play. Or to dissect a break-up. Or talk about our latest crush. We’d see and be seen. And our biggest cares would be our collection of rubber bracelets a la Madonna or the latest George Michael tune.
Sometimes that seems like so long ago. Sometimes I can visualize enough details that it could have been yesterday. Which is surprising because my memory sucks a lot of the times. Ask my kids.
The menu items I ordered rotated amongst a few favorites, depending on my mood. Grilled cheese with tomato and bacon. A juicy medium rare cheeseburger. Disco fries. As a young adult, my go-to dish was a gyro, with no lettuce, sauteed onions instead of raw, and extra tzatiki sauce on the side (for mixing with ketchup and dipping my fries into). My friend Allison and I would order our gyros nearly the same way, and the waiters quickly learned what we wanted as soon as we walked in the door.
I loved that.
And Patty Melts. Oh man, patty melts. Crispy bread. Perfectly caramelized onions. A juicy burger. And cheese. Oh yes.
When the folks at Pillsbury asked me to develop a recipe using their frozen biscuits, I knew exactly what I’d make. Something that reminded me of my diner days. But with a twist or two. How about a mini version Patty Melt? With double the onions? And adding mushrooms? And a different kind of cheese?
Well hello there.
The recipe is super simple to make, with the longest part going to caramelizing the onions, but even with that, you’re done lickety-split. Nick devoured his in nothing flat, so they’re kid-friendly in both size *and* taste, and he was looking for a second one when he came up for air. And I don’t blame him. Full-bodied burger flavor, a little sweetness from the onions, woodsiness from the mushrooms, and a slightly sharp bite from the Cheddar? You can’t go wrong. For realz.
The frozen biscuits, which I didn’t even know existed before this assignment, are a great thing to stash in your freezer, particularly if you want just a couple. Take out and bake what you need, and keep the rest in the freezer. I kind of love that. When I made this batch, I made extra burgers (but didn’t cook them), and wrapped them up individually and popped them into the freezer. Now with the biscuits on hand, and some pre-mixed, pre-formed burgers all ready, I’m more than halfway to another easy grab-and-go meal on a crazy weeknight.
And we all know how valuable THAT is.
Tomorrow? We talk pink.
PS One more day left to enter the Subway gift card giveaway – hop to it!
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