Turkey Patty Melts

Happy Veteran's Day!!​

Shout out to all of the veterans - especially those in my own family.  My husband, my father in law, my grandfather, my uncle and my cousin have all selflessly served this great country.  I'm going to be honest - I struggled to find the right words to properly express my gratitude without sounding like a cliche.  Thank you hardly seems like enough for all that you sacrificed and fought for.  Bravery doesn't seem like a big enough word either.  So just know that I appreciate you and I'm praying for all of you today.  

If you were to ask me to describe my veteran husband to you - I'm fairly certain that I couldn't do it without using the word sacrifice.   He's sacrificed for me, for our kids and for his country.  So today, to honor my favorite veteran - I wanted to post one of his favorite recipes on the blog.   He will eat just about anything (except shepherds pie) but what he truly enjoys is a nice juicy steak or a pile of smoked pork smothered in barbecue sauce on a bun. 🥩
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In search of the perfect recipe, I scoured through the nearly 100 recipes that are in my blog cue right now and to my disbelief, I couldn't find a single beef or pork recipe in the lot. 😬😳  I stopped eating red meat and pork a few years ago and apparently, without even realizing it, I stopping blogging those recipes too. This is my explanation as to why I'm posting Turkey Patty Melts on this veterans day blog.💁🏻‍♀️  It was the closest thing that I could find to a meaty recipe. 😂  For some reason I feel like I need to defend myself by telling you that on occasion, I do make red meat and pork for dinner just because I know he loves it.🤣 And in case it helps - he loved these Turkey Patty Melts in spite of their lack of red meat. 😅

Turkey Patty Melts
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup panko
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
1 pound onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
8 slices sandwich bread
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
12 slices Swiss cheese

Process shallot, panko, salt and pepper in food processor until finely ground. 

Add turkey, milk, butter and Worcestershire and pulse 10 times. 

Divide mixture into 4 equal portions. 

Shape each into a disk 1/4" larger than bread.   

Cook 2 patties at a time in a nonstick skillet until browned on each side and cooked through.  

Remove patties and cook onions, 1 T. butter, salt, pepper, water and baking soda in same skillet 8 minutes, covered.  

Uncover and cook an additional 7-10 minutes.  Add vinegar and sugar. 

Spread 1 1/2 t. mustard on each slice of bread.  

Top with 1 1/2 cheese slices. 

Arrange patties over cheese on 4 bread slices.

Distribute onions evenly over patties.  Top with remaining bread slices. 

Melt 1 T. butter in clean skillet.  Add 2 sandwiches and cook until browned on each side.  Repeat with remaining patties. 

Ciao!

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