Jalapeno Pepper Patty Melt

Almost nothing beats a warm, cheesy patty melt with grilled onions except maybe the Jalapeno Pepper Patty Melt!

When the folks at Tillamook approached me several weeks ago to participate with them and other blogs in celebrating National Grilled Cheese Month of course I said yes; who doesn’t love that combo of butter toasted bread with some gooey cheese melted inside. I wanted to try a Jalapeno Pepper Patty Melt so timing was perfect.

Alas, I had no jalapeno in sight so I rebooted and it does seem that my Apple, Pancetta and Sharp Cheddar on a Grilled Croissant sandwich was well received. I know it might be my most favorite grilled cheese ever!

Though the apple/cheddar/croissant match was magical…I could not quite get over the other sandwich I thought of doing; well, actually did. The problem? I’ve lately been using Google ‘after’ I finish making a recipe to see what else is out there like it.

I’m a strong believer that it’s next to impossible to make something totally and completely unique anymore and this exercise often proves that point so I wasn’t surprised to have that confirmed with my new search practice.

Still…I was a bit surprised to see that indeed, what I thought a new spin on a Patty Melt was in fact widespread; as in Carl’s Junior widespread. Sigh. Pepper Jack cheese and jalapenos even. I won’t deny I was a bit bummed especially since I had really loved it…still, on the back burner it went.

Then I made it for some friends who 1. Also LOVED it and 2. Like me, had never been to a Carl’s Junior. They convinced me to share it on my blog; for their sake. Besides, though this photo of the Carl’s Junior Southwest Patty Melt looked OK; it just screamed ‘food styling’ and we didn’t see someone eating it after the photo was finished.

Here? It’s always a race to get it made, put together and photographed right before someone takes a big bite…but I hope it looks more ‘real’ too!

By the way, if you aren’t familiar with Tillamook cheeses, well you should be; they are one of my favorite brands. In my own personal effort to know more about the food products that I eat and the companies that produce them, Tillamook measures up.

They have a strong commitment to local and state dairy associations and to the quality of their product, expecting that anyone supplying them with milk has been certified that their milk producing cows have not been treated with artificial growth hormones. I appreciate attention to those values and the ultimate benefit to all of us. That I love how it tastes is a given. 🙂

This sandwich was fabulous; especially for the woman who moved to Colorado and used to pick Jalapenos out of any food and who now has to add them. I think of them as mild now but if not your preference simply omit them.

NOTE: This recipe calls for grilled onions; make your favorite recipe or if you need inspiration, take a peek at our recipe for making caramelized onions overnight in a crockpot or if you prefer a stovetop recipe, here is one from Simply Recipes.

Some more grilled cheese sandwiches you might enjoy:

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