Ham and Gruyere Panini

Anyone else feel like they over did it on the jellybeans and bakery goods this week? We spent a lovely Easter with family, having a good meal, a few cocktails and a good dose of family history. Come Monday though, it was time to jump back into the workweek. No worries, I don’t plan on cooking for a few days. We’ll be enjoying leftover Easter ham for at least a day or two.

If you’re looking at a few pounds of leftover Easter goodness and brainstorming what to do with it next, I suggest pulling out our panini maker and getting to it. My go to ham and cheese panini is full of flavor, has a bit of a crunch to it and will make you wish you baked a bigger ham. These paninis are also great the next day in a lunch box.

The recipe below is more of a method than a recipe. I believe that what makes this sandwich special is the Gruyere cheese. It melts very easily and its nutty flavor balances out the saltiness of the ham really well.

French Baguette
Whole Grain Mustard
Arugula
Gruyere Cheese, sliced
Ham, sliced
Olive Oil

Heat your panini to high. Slice the baguette into approximately 4-inch chunks, and then halve each chunk of bread horizontally. Spread whole grain mustard on each half of the baguette. Top the bottom slice with a layer of Gruyere cheese, a layer of ham, another layer of cheese and top with arugula. Place the top slice of baguette on the sandwich and drizzle both sides of the sandwich with olive oil.

Place the sandwich in your panini maker and press down firmly. Cook the sandwich until the cheese oozes out. If the cheese is not melted in the center when you cut the panini open, throw the sandwich back in the panini maker for another minute or two.