Pork Patty Melts

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, split in half and thinly sliced from pole to pole
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
• 8 slices sturdy white sandwich bread
• 12 slices Swiss cheese, torn in half

Directions

1. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over the pork along with 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and mix it in with your hands. Make 4 even portions, then flatten each one into a thin patty shaped like a slice of bread. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it looks glossy, then add the patties. Cook them for about 6 minutes total, until both sides are nicely browned, and move them to a plate.
2. With the skillet empty, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and fennel, then sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are tender and picking up a little char. Stir in the garlic and vinegar, and let everything cook for 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning, then scrape the mixture into a bowl.
3. Lower the heat to medium. In the same emptied skillet, melt 2 1/2 tablespoons more butter, tilting the pan so the butter coats the surface. Set 4 bread slices in the skillet, and lay 1 1/2 slices cheese over each piece. On each of 2 of those slices, add 1/4 of the onion-fennel mixture, then set a pork patty on top. When the cheese begins to melt, turn the cheese-only bread over onto the patties, and press gently with a spatula. Cook the sandwiches for about 3 minutes per side, turning once, until the bread is golden and crisp. Move them to a cutting board, then repeat with the remaining butter, cheese, onion-fennel mixture, and pork patties. Serve immediately.