Sweet Potato and Avocado Panini

Sweet potato + avocado- I know, it's a strange combination! I can assure you though, it's delicious! In the process of building this sandwich I learned a new method of roasting sweet potatoes: tossing thin slices in olive oil and honey and letting the oven work its magic. Sandwichless, they would make a great accompaniment to any meal! And here, layered with ripe green avocado and juicy red tomatoes (and spinach and red onion) and a special sauce they are oh-so-good! That sauce had me wondering too, but I swear the mayo, honey mustard, and poppy seed combo is awesome!

I got carried away and sliced my veggies a bit too thick. This presented a problem when the sandwiches were so fat that the panini maker didn't wanted to close around them. And after grilling they proceeded to slide around, the insides occasionally spilling out. But a deconstructed sandwich tastes just as good as a pristine obedient one, and so it didn't matter. I enjoyed every bite of this odd but impressive panini!

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet potato, peel and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. honey mustard (I combined 2 tsp. Dijon + 2 tsp. honey)
2 tsp. mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. poppy seeds
4 slices whole wheat bread
red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tomato, sliced 1/4-inch thick
handful baby spinach or salad mix
1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (optional, I omitted)

DIRECTIONS
1. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in 400 F preheated even for about 15 minutes, until tender, flipping halfway through.

2. In a small bowl whisk together honey mustard, mayonnaise, and poppy seeds.

3. To construct the sandwiches, spread half of the poppy seed mixture on two of the bread slices. Place half of the onion, avocado, and tomato slices on top. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potato slices, cheese (optional, I omitted), and spinach. Top with remaining slice of bread.

4. Preheat panini press or grill pan to medium high heat. Grill sandwich until bread is crispy and cheese has melted (if using). Slice in half and serve warm.

Makes 2 paninis.

(Adapted from Love and Olive Oil)