Leftover Pot Roast Patty Melts

Inevitably, one of the first things people say to me when they discover that I have two sons is, "Just wait until the teenage years! Your grocery bill is going to skyrocket!" What I want to tell people when they say this is, Going to skyrocket? What is this going to you speak of? Since my older son turned five, my grocery bill has already skyrocketed. 

I don't know what is with Andrew lately, but it's like he has a hollow leg. It's the growth spurt that seems unending. He can eat and eat and eat and then ten minutes later, he's ready to eat again. It's like I already live with a teenager. You wouldn't believe the amount of food we go through in a week.

Since we're on a budget, it's been important for me to continue with my "make it once, use it a bunch of times" food philosophy so there is more room in the grocery column for Andrew's voracious appetite. 'Tis the season for pot roast, so when I made one in the Crock pot recently, I decided to use the leftovers in a couple of different ways. These patty melts were the first use, and in my mind, they may just be the best use of leftovers ever. I mean, come on. Look at all that gooey cheese.

You can use your favorite pot roast recipe for these sandwiches; this is ours. You can also use whatever type of cheese you like. The one thing I wouldn't skip is the special sauce (a combination of mayonnaise, steak sauce, and Worcestershire); it totally makes these sandwiches.

Give these a try, and I guarantee you that before you know it, you'll be making pot roast just so you can use the leftovers for patty melts.

Leftover Pot Roast Patty Melts

For the sandwiches:

2 cups leftover pot roast
8 slices sturdy bread
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for the bread
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices Colby cheese (or Swiss, or provolone, etc.)

For the sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons steak sauce (like A1)
Dash Worcestershire sauce

1. Re-heat the pot roast in the microwave. Butter one side of all 8 slices of bread.

2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add onions and mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and mushrooms are browned. Add garlic; season with salt and pepper and cook and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

3. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Place a slice of cheese on the unbuttered side of 4 slices of bread. Top each slice with 1/2 cup of the pot roast, a generous portion of the onion and mushroom mixture, and the other slice of cheese. Repeat with all four sandwiches and top with the other slice of bread, buttered side out. Grill, flipping once, until both sides are browned and crispy.

4. Combine all sauce ingredients. Serve the sauce with the patty melts.