Bleu Cheese & Roast Beef Panini Sandwiches

Roast beef, bleu cheese and other deliciousness

I am definitely a sandwich junkie.  Knowing that tonight was going to be the last night alone before my kids come home from their road trip with the Grandparents, I decided that it would be a perfect time to indulge in a fabulous grown-up sandwich.  I decided on a rare roast beef sandwich with a tangy garlic, bleu cheese mayo that smothers both sides and gets even more oozy good as it grills in a panini press.

What do you need:

1. Sliced roast beef (get the rarest you can find) about 1/4lb per person
2. Favorite melty cheese. Mozzarella for me, pepper jack for the hubs
3. Fresh tomato. We used the heirlooms from our garden
4. Spinach.  Stolen from our salad pack.
5. Red onion
6. Ciabatta bread rolls
7. Mayo, about 1/4 cup per person
8. Chopped garlic - 1/2 tsp per person
9. Bleu cheese - fat tablespoon per person
10. Panini grill if you got one.  Otherwise a hot skillet with some Olive Oil and a heavy cast iron pan to put on top would also work well.

I got home and mixed up a 1/2 cup of mayo with 1 tsp of chopped garlic and 1/4 cup of bleu cheese and let it rest in the fridge for a couple hours, until I was ready to assemble.

When it's time to get cooking, first turn on your panini machine and slice the ciabatta bread. Go ahead and smother each side with a tablespoon of the mayo mixture.  

Next layer the spinach leaves, then the roast beef and then the tomato.  For the red onion, I don't like really strong onion flavor.  Take the onion and put it in a bowl with some cold water.  This takes that extra bite of the onion, and leaves it very pleasant tasting, yet not overpowering.  

Top with your favorite cheese and then with the top of the roll.  I give my panini machine a little spritzing with Olive Oil cooking spray and then place them in the center of the machine and give a nice smoosh before locking it in place.

Even the "before" looks good

Waiting...waiting...waiting

After about 4 minutes, check on these little beauties and make sure the cheese is starting to melt, but the bread isn't burning.

Perfect golden delicious color

Slice and serve with a nice salad and you have a gourmet dinner even a food truck might be jealous of.