Elk Patty Melt with Pepper Jack and Smoked Provolone!

Delicious and comfortable wild game patty melt!  Elk is lean, good tasting and healthy to eat!
     If you have ever eaten a greasy patty melt that was made with a cheap ground beef patty at a greasy spoon diner, then you know the awful feeling of heavy greasy food on the tummy.  Antacid tablets are the only hope to feel better after eating a greasy hamburger patty melt that is made with cheap American Cheese and imitation butter.  Its no wonder the patty melt sandwich has gone by the wayside in the last 20 years.  Its no wonder that greasy spoon diners are places to avoid.
     Modern trendy diners that feature old fashioned scratch cooking do have great reputations.  I did a restaurant review of Du-Par's Restaurant and Bakery at the Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas.  Everything is home made at Du-Par's, including the jams and jellies!  Du-Par's is an old fashioned style diner.
     Diners in areas that have good hunting guide businesses do sometimes feature a few wild game items on their menu.  The Cactus Cowboy Restaurant in Hatch Utah is in the middle of prime elk hunting territory.  Elk and buffalo are featured on their menu.  The Cactus Cowboy Restaurant is an old fashioned western diner.
     A patty melt that is made with an elk burger patty actually feels good on the tummy!  That heavy greasy feeling does not arise when elk is used instead of ground beef.  I make my food the traditional way and I prefer to use quality ingredients.  Unsalted butter and nice quality cheese were used to make this elk patty melt.  That also contributes to the good feeling this elk patty melt has on the tummy.  Unsalted butter is actually much better for the body than imitation butter flavored grease!  Moderation is the key.  Too much butter can have its drawbacks.
     Cheap American Cheese can sometimes have a list of chemical ingredients that are a mile long.  Is it cheese or is it plastic?  I really don't want to know!  I used a high quality artisan real smoked provolone from a farm in California for this recipe.  I also used a nice pepper jack cheese on this patty melt.  The two cheeses combined to create a nice campfire side light smokey flavor with a sharp mildly spicy hot pepper aftertaste.  Sourdough was my choice of bread for this patty melt and that added a nice flavor too.  This turned out to be a great tasting elk patty melt!
   
     Elk Patty Melt with Pepper Jack and Smoked Provolone Recipe:
     Place 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise in a small mixing bowl.
     Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of catsup.
     Add 2 teaspoons of sweet pickle relish.
     Stir the ingredients together.
     Set the patty melt sauce aside.
     Place 5 to 6 ounces of ground elk meat on a counter top.
     Roll the ground elk into a ball shape.
     Press the ground elk into a patty shape and so that the patty is the same oval shape as the sourdough bread slices.
     Set the elk patty aside.
     Heat a small saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 small handful of diced bermuda onion.
     Saute till the onions become lightly caramelized.
     Keep the grilled onions warm on a stove top.
     Heat a large non-stick or seasoned saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Brush 2 slices of sourdough bread with melted unsalted butter.
     Place the buttered bread slices in the pan.
     Immediately place a few slices of smoked provolone cheese on the bread.
     Place a few slices of pepper jack cheese on the bread.
     Spread a thin layer of the patty melt sauce over the cheese on one of the bread slices.
     Place the grilled onions on the other slice of bread.
     Grill the bread, till it becomes toasted to a golden brown color.
     Remove each half of the patty melt bread from the pan and set them on a dish.  Return the pan to the heat.  Keep the patty melt bread halves warm on a stove top while the elk patty is cooked.  (The ground elk is so lean, that it takes less than 2 minutes to cook!)
     Raise the temperature of the pan to medium heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add the elk patty.
     Season the elk patty with sea salt and black pepper.
     Saute and grill the elk patty on both sides, till it is cooked medium rare to medium.
     Place the elk patty on the grilled onion half of the warm grilled patty melt bread.
     Place the other slice of the grilled patty melt bread on top of the elk burger patty.
     Set the elk patty melt on a cutting board.
     Cut the sandwich in half.
     Set the two sandwich halves on a serving plate.
     Garnish the plate with Italian parsley sprigs and a few Bread And Butter Pickle Chips.

     Viola!  A great tasting elk patty melt that actually makes a tummy feel good!  The flavors of the cheese really gives this elk patty melt a nice flavor.  The onions are cooked sweet and the simple patty melt sauce adds a nice old fashioned traditional diner flavor.  I used organic catsup to make the sauce.  Elk tastes like sweet beef and it is not the least bit gamey tasting.  This is an awesome elk patty melt!  Yum!  ...  Shawna