Friday Dinner with Dad: Turkey Patty Melt

When I was growing up, dinner with dad consisted of spaghetti, pizza delivery, or a bucket of fried chicken.  Beth got a bowl of cereal or PB & J.  Slowly but surely, dads have started moving into the kitchen.  However, women still spend twice as much time cooking as men.  At Simply Budgeted, we want to start giving men a little bit of attention and come up with some ideas that they can put together for dinners.  We hope that our efforts here help to keep the family out of the drive through, give mom a bit of a break, and break down some of the typical gender stereotypes for our kids.  We are calling this effort Friday Dinner with Dad.

All of that having been said, our Turkey Patty Melt is a quick, easy, cheap, and relatively healthy recipe for all of the dads out there to make.  Serve this yummy sandwich with our scrumptious Roasted “Fries” (recipe included) and a crispy side salad.

Turkey Patty Melt

This is kind of a riff off of the classic patty melt.  Using turkey instead of beef gives an obvious calorie savings and the hamburger seasoning definitely helps put some of those “beefy” flavors back into the patty melt.  Caramelized onions are a little stringy for our little ones, so the diced onions make it a bit easier on them.  Rye bread is traditional for this sandwich, but neither of us have ever really cared for rye bread.  Texas toast holds up to the patty and toasting it in the toaster instead of in the pan with butter saves you a little bit of your daily butter intake for when you really need it.

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
3 T hamburger seasoning
1 small onion, diced
2 T olive oil
12 slices Texas Toast
6 slices cheese (American, Provolone, Swiss)

Directions

Mix turkey and hamburger seasoning and form six thin patties.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Place patties in oiled heavy pan over medium to medium-high heat.  Place a small handful of diced onions (just enough to cover) onto the patty and press well with a spatula.   Cook 3-5 minutes per side, covering with cheese for the last minute.

While patties are cooking, toast the bread in a toaster to desired brownness.  Slide finished patties onto toast and cover.  Serve immediately.

Roasted “Fries”

These potatoes can be served like fries with ketchup, but taste just as good with a meat and a side veggie.  It’s a great “go to” potato recipe!

Ingredients

5-6 medium red potatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
1 T kosher salt
1 t black pepper
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t paprika
3 T olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and set a heavy pan over medium-high heat.

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl until seasonings cover the potatoes well.  Transfer the contents of the bowl to the heated pan.  Cook potatoes over medium-high heat until lightly browned.  Toss the potatoes in the pan and transfer the entire pan into the oven.  Roast for 10-15 minutes until golden, brown, and delicious.  Drain well and serve immediately.

As a quick note:  Beth was stopped reheating leftovers of these in her office the other day.  The guy asked her where she had gotten the food.  When she said “home”, he thought she meant that it was leftover take-out from home.  He was disappointed to find out that he cannot find food like this in any area restaurants.