Girls Night with Panini's and Oven Fries!

So it was time for our weekly girls night and I was in the mood for something a little different. A good ole’ gooey sandwich sounded fantastic, and with that I feel that French Fries are an absolute must, and with French Fries, you need to have a special sauce, of course! I figured seasoned oven fries would be a great alternative, don’t need to fry them, but they would still have a ton of flavor. I wanted to fill the sandwiches with lots of sautéed vegetables, some chicken and little bit of cheese, because lets be serious, what’s a gooey sandwich without cheese, and you can’t forget the Pesto! Oh yeah I steamed some fresh green beans becuase it's always good to have something green on that plate.  It went perfect with a nice glass of wine, a newly stained deck, and great company!

Panini’s

8 slices good bread (I like to use roasted garlic sourdough)

1 pound Oven Roasted Chicken Breast (leftover grilled chicken works great as well)

2 cloves garlic

½ red onion sliced thin

1 red pepper sliced thin

1 bag (6oz) spinach

1/4 pound sliced mushrooms (or 1 can)

8 sliced tomato

Pesto (I like to use traditional Basil Pesto, but any kind will be great)

4-8 slices cheese (roasted garlic is great, but munster or mozzarella work as well)

Drizzle a pan with olive oil, or use cooking spray and sauté onion and garlic until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add pepper mushrooms and spinach and cook until pepper is nice and soft. (If the pan gets too dry and it looks like it is going to burn, add chicken stock or white wine instead of oil to save on some fat, just make sure the liquid cooks out before putting on sandwich). Spread Pesto on 4 slices of bread and place chicken on top. Divide the sautéed vegetables between the 4 sandwiches and top each with two slices of tomato, then a slice or two of cheese. Cover with the other slice of bread and you are ready to go. I don’t have a Panini press so I just use a pan and place a cookie sheet on top of the sandwiches and place some cans on top to weigh them down. Cook at a medium heat so the bread will brown and the cheese will melt.

Oven Fries

2 ½ pounds red skin potatoes

Cooking spray or olive oil

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 Teaspoon Cumin

½ Teaspoon Cayenne

Salt

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and wash and dry potatoes. Cut potatoes in half, and then cut each half in 3 or 4 wedges depending on the size of the potato. (It helps when these are thick, so I make sure to buy larger potatoes). Place the potatoes on the cooking sheet and drizzle with olive oil or spray with the cooking spray; toss with the seasoning. Bake at 450 degrees for about 40 minutes. To get them nice and crisp, you don’t want to mess with them very much, just toss once or twice during the cooking time.

 

Special Sauce

½ Cup Catsup

1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise

Dash of chili powder

Dash of Cayenne

Dash of Cumin

Mix all ingredients together and dip fries in, soo good!