SMOKY TURKEY ROASTED BLT PANINI

Smoky Turkey Roasted BLT Panini image

Provided by SarasotaCook

Time 40m

Yield 4 sandwiches, 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 11

8 slices bread (I like Cibatta or a good Italian bread)
16 slices smoked turkey, sliced (deli is fine, but not shaved or chipped)
4 plum tomatoes, lightly seeded and roasted
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces gouda cheese, smoked (approximately 1 cup)
8 slices bacon (smoked or hickory)
2 cups arugula
1 avocado, thin sliced

Steps:

Tomatoes -- Roasting the tomatoes. Just cut in quarters (de-seed, just lightly squeeze to get rid of most of the seeds), drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 for approximately 15 minutes until somewhat soft but not over done. Remove and let cool. Once cool dice fine and mix with the mayonaise, some salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
Bacon -- Honestly, just cook in the microwave. Put on a paper plate topped with a paper towel topped with the bacon and then top with another paper towel and cook 3-4 minutes until crisp. Remove and let cool as you build your sandwich.
Sandwich -- Spread the tomato mayonaise on the bread, top with cheese, 2 slices of bacon, arugula, avacado and turkey, more cheese and top with another slice of bread spread with the tomato mayo. Put either on a lightly oiled grill pan, panini press or just a regular non stick pan. If you don't have a panini press, just weight down sandwich with a heavy pan or a brick wrapped in foil. Anything heavy will work. Sometimes I will just add a couple of heavy cans to a small pan and it works just fine. Just something to weight them down a bit. Cook until golden brown. Let cool a few minutes and slice.
The ultimate turkey BLT!