It seems puzzling that a fashion model would be fascinated with cooking. Yet Los Angeles-based cover model-television personality-Instagram star Chrissy Teigen, is passionate about home-cooked food. Her second cookbook “Cravings: Hungry for More” (Clarkson Potter, $29.99) was recently released, along with a new 40-piece collection of cookware and dishes that will be available at Target stores.

Many of her book’s dishes sing of comfort dishes, indulgent crowd-pleasers such as this recipe for Crispy Bacon and Sweet Pickle Patty Melts. She writes that she loves American cheese and wanted to verify its authenticity as cheese. She googled “what is cheese?” The only rule, according to her query, is that it must have been made with milk. So, she says that it qualifies.

Crispy Bacon and Sweet Pickle Patty Melts

Yield: 4

INGREDIENTS

1/2 medium yellow onion

3/4 pound ground beef (preferably 80 percent lean)

5 bacon slices, cooked crisp and crumbled

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 slices white bread

Butter, room temperature

Vegetable oil

8 slices American cheese

PROCEDURE

1. Using a box grater, grate onion into a bowl. Scoop up the grated onion with your hands and squeeze and discard liquid. (You’re going to wash you hands for the rest of the day. Sorry.) Return squeezed onion to bowl; add beef, bacon, relish, egg, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix it all together using your hands, but gently. Pat out 4 thin patties and you get extra credit if you get them equal in size to the bread.

2. Generously spread one side of each slice of bread with softened butter.

3. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Grease the skillet with oil and when you see it start to smoke cook the patties until browned and a crust forms, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

4. Reduce heat to medium and arrange 4 slices of bread, butter-side down in the skillet. Layer with a slice of cheese, a burger patty and another slice of cheese. Top with a final slice of bread butter side-up.

5. Cook, pressing down slightly once in a while, until the bread is brown, crisp and toasty, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve hot.