1.6 min. read
They had me at the photo… This mouthwatering sandwich is even easier on the tongue than it is on the eyes! It has everything I’ve always wanted to add (and have, separately) to a Grilled Cheese… And more. And I’m looking at ways to enhance it even further!
Like any great burger – You can build this amazing Grilled Cheese Extravaganza
as a single, double (pictured above), or whatever you want!
Like a Big Mac? This ‘smashup’ is intentionally similar to a BM in some very special ways – starting with ‘Special Sauce’ Which as we all know is really just a variant of Thousand Islands. There are about 27 million copycat recipes online…
The same but different…
On a more pedestrian level, there’s also the cheese – classic American slices, one for each smash-burger patty. But totally out of left field (yet still in the burger game) comes caramelizd onions!
Alejandro sets the scene…
Recipe contributor Alejandro Valdes Lora tells the tale of the copycat so much better than I could…
“The famous [Steak ‘N Shake] Frisco Melt is a build [from] delicate layers of goodness. You have your two butter-smothered toasted slices of sourdough bread on top with that tangy creamy dressing on one slice and some classic caramelized onions on the other, with the pièce de résistance smashed burger with two slices of silky melted cheese in the middle.”
“If the Steak ‘n Shake classic sandwich is a staple for you, then our copycat recipe is about to become your new favorite lunch star.”
Tips and hacks…
You can use bottled Thousand Islands or make your own – as you prefer. I make my own and I really do prefer it!
You can make your own burger patties from scratch – or smash-fry or -bake store-bought ones.
Caramelize the onions the way you usually do. But I think Natalie’s Method is simply the best way ever, hands down.
Go ahead and pile on more onions than shown in Alejandro’s glam shot (above).
Among the hacks I mentioned off the top of this post… Some super-crispy crumbled bacon.
DO follow Alejandro’s detailed assembly instructions for a sandwich that comes together properly, and stays together when you bite into it…
My take
This is a short post. Because you already know how to perform all the constituent tasks required to produce the finished masterpiece.
So get off your duff and smash this irresistible dish out of the park!
~ Maggie J.