Q: What do you call a nose without a body?
A: No body nose.

This is not your average burger. The Kronnerburger Patty Melt, named from its creator California chef Chris Kronner, is a glorious mess of a cheeseburger. A simply fried beef patty joins sweet caramelized onions, hot mustard, creamy béchamel and cheddar in a sandwich that is out of this world. A simple side of Parmesan and garlic fries rounds out the plate.

Kronnerburger Patty Melt

Ingredients:

Béchamel Sauce (recipe follows)
Caramelized Onions (recipe follows)
Beef Patties (recipe follows)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 (1/2-inch) slices sourdough bread
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons prepared Chinese hot mustard

Directions:

1. Butter one side of each of the slices of bread and place on a rimmed baking sheet, buttered side-down. Spread mustard on the unbuttered side of each piece of bread, then top 4 of the bread slices with béchamel, dividing evenly. Divide the grated cheese evenly across all of the bread slices.

2. Preheat the broiler. When hot, place the baking sheet holding the bread slices under the broiler, 3 inches from the heating element, and broil until the cheese melts, about 3 minutes.

3. Place the patties on a slice of bread and top with a quarter of the caramelized onions. Close up the sandwiches with the remaining slices of bread.

4. Wipe the pan or griddle with a paper towel and reduce the heat to medium. Toast the sandwiches, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut each sandwich in half.

Serves 4

Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
Splash of sherry wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.

2. Stir in the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute.

3. Stir in the milk and cream. Cook, whisking, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 4 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and season with a splash of vinegar, pepper and salt to taste.

5. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate (Can be made up to 3 days ahead). The béchamel can be spread on the patty melt cold, straight from the refrigerator.

Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 white onion, halved, then thinly sliced lengthwise
Kosher salt

Directions:

1. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized and a deep golden brown, 30-45 minutes.

2. Season to taste with salt. Can be made ahead up to 3 days. Cover and refrigerate. Re-warm before using.

Beef Patties

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Form the beef into four (4-ounce) patties, each about ¼-inch thick. Season on both sides with salt.

2. Heat a cast-iron pan or griddle over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the patties and cook, pressing down on the patty with a spatula, until deeply browned, about 2 minutes.

3. Flip and continue cooking for 2 minutes more, pressing down on the patty to smash it slightly.

Recipes from Chris Kronner

Parmesan & Garlic Fries

Ingredients:

5 cups frozen French-fried potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Place potatoes in a large bowl.

3. Mix oil, garlic and salt then toss with potatoes. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

4. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once.

5. Sprinkle with cheese and toss lightly. Serve immediately.

Serves 5

Recipe from Taste of Home Magazine

You’ll probably want to plop on the couch and veg after finishing your burger, but a far better option is to dance around to this retro bit of synth pop from German duo Fragile Tom.

Check out Fragile Tom on Facebook. You can buy their music on Bandcamp.

Cheers!