30 Days of Holiday: Bird, Berries, and Brie Panini

In my house, turkey comes at a premium.  It seems no matter how many pounds of turkey I serve at Thanksgiving, that's exactly the number of pounds needed satiate our appetites.  Last year we smoked one seventeen pound bird and were left with a few slices of breast and both legs.  This year I served a total of thirty-four pounds of turkey and, after dinner, filled two zip-loc bags with the meat salvaged from the carcasses.  I seldom struggle to come up with something good to do with leftovers.  I'll be surprised if we have any turkey left by Monday.

Leftovers or no, this is one of my favorite sandwiches.  I often buy turkey just to make this sandwich.  The photo shows whole berry cranberry sauce, and you may certainly use that.  For sandwiches, though, my personal preference is jellied.  Sometimes I use different cheeses.  In particular, the nutty flavor of swiss works really well.

What's In It:

Roasted turkey slices, preferably breast meat
Jellied cranberry sauce
Brie cheese
Ciabatta (Croissants work well, too!)

How To Make It:

Slice bread in half. 
Spread one side of bread with a generous layer of cranberry sauce.
Cover the other half with a generous layer of brie.
Place three to four slices of turkey breast on one half of bread.
Press sandwich together.
Spray panini maker with vegetable spray before putting sandwich inside.  (A buttered skillet serves just as well.  After all, none of the grilled cheese sandwiches we ate as children were made in a panini maker...)
Sandwich is ready when cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.

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