Waffle Iron Pressed Sandwiches

I LOVE pressed, hot sandwiches. LOVE. Panera is one of my favorite casual dining places, because of their awesome soup and sandwiches. I don't have a sandwich press at home, but it turns out, I don't need one!

I've had this waffle iron for a few years, and it works great even though I don't make waffles that often. I think I will be using a lot more after these sandwiches though!

My husband took one bite and declared it a "Glenn household regular".

I simply buttered both outer sides of the bread, and then layered them in the preheated iron.

I pushed down with slight pressure, just smushing the sandwich a bit, then let go. My waffle iron is has a "floating" top, mean it doesn't lock down. If it did lock down, I probably would leave it loose anyway. You don't want a completely flat sandwich!

I used black forest ham and american cheese. I left them in the iron for about 2 1/2 minutes, just until the cheese was melty and the bread nice and toasty.

I served them up with Cape Cod ranch waffle chips(Ironic!).

YUM!

Next time I think I might add pickles, mustard, and swiss cheese for a press cuban! Or pesto and chicken for an italian twist! Lots of possibilites, so much tastier than a plain sandwich. Let me know if you try it out!