Aunt Sheila would slide these onto the table and somehow they’d disappear before the sweet tea even hit the glasses.

For a more traditional diner-style patty melt, swap the regular sandwich bread for rye bread and keep the Swiss cheese as-is, or mix Swiss with a bit of American cheese for extra melt. If you like a stronger onion presence, cook an extra onion and pile them higher, or add a few thin raw onion slices on top of the caramelized onions for a sharper bite.

To lean further into Southern flavors, season the beef with a pinch of cayenne or hot sauce and add a thin layer of pimento cheese under the Swiss. You can also turn this into a make-ahead meal: cook the patties and onions earlier in the day, refrigerate, then assemble and bake just before serving—add a few extra minutes in the oven to heat everything through.

For a lighter version, use 90/10 ground beef or a mix of ground turkey and beef, and toast the bread under the broiler instead of brushing with butter. If you’re feeding a bigger crowd, double the recipe and rotate two sheet pans in the oven; the method scales nicely and still gives you that “Aunt Sheila set them out and they vanished” effect.