Ham Panini

For Christmas, my parents gave me a panini maker.  I didn't have a chance to get it out for a while with this and that going on in my life.  I got it out a couple of weeks ago and love it!  There are so many possibilities for meals with it!

Here is a basic recipe for a Ham Panini.  I've added some notes at the bottom of the recipe on ways that you can dressed it up a little and make it really yummy.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• Bread
• Brown or Dijon mustard
• Sliced ham
• Swiss cheese

 Directions:

• Preheat panini maker to the medium heat setting.
• Brush one side of each slice of bread with the olive oil.  Put the olive oil side of the bread down on a clean surface.
• Put a thin layer of mustard on a slice of bread.
• Place 2 slices of ham on top of the mustard.  Make sure that the ham does not hang over the sides of the bread.
• Add the Swiss cheese on top of the last layer.
• Place the top slice of bread on top with the oiled side up.
• Place the sandwich(es) on the panini make and cook until golden and crispy.  This should take about 5 minutes.

To dress up this basic ham panini:

• Instead of using Swiss cheese, use grated Gruyère cheese.
• Between the ham and cheese layers, add a layer of Béchamel sauce.