Pressing Matters: Cheesy Panini with Apples, Pears, and Sweet Potatoes

The recipes in our series “Homemade Gourmet" take the thought and time out of cooking without sacrificing their flavor or gourmet appeal. Cozy up this fall with this cheesy panini recipe by Liz Harris of Floating Kitchen.

The cornerstone of a good panini is a contrast in textures. It should be soft and melty on the inside, but crisp on the outside.

You can put any ingredients you'd like in a panini, but I was channeling some major fall vibes when I came up with the recipe for this cheesy fall panini. It includes some of my go-to seasonal ingredients, like Harry & David apples and Royal Riviera Pears. Along with roasted sweet potato slices and a Brussels sprout slaw, you have all the ingredients you need for all the best flavors of fall. Plus two cheeses to hold it all together: Harry & David sharp white cheddar and gouda.

Each sandwich gets a couple slices of the roasted sweet potatoes and a little pile of the Brussels sprout slaw. Then I like to mix and match the remaining ingredients. Personally, I like pairing the apple slices with the cheddar cheese and the pear slices with the gouda. But the best part about making this panini at home is that you can build it exactly to your liking.

After your panini is assembled, you can just pop it in the panini press insert of your Revolution Toaster and let the toaster do all the hard work for you.

I love the different flavors and textures in these panini. The apple and pear slices stay crisp and firm. The Brussels sprout slaw provides additional crunch. The roasted sweet potatoes and cheeses just sort of melt together, becoming soft and warm. It's sandwich nirvana!

Using the toaster panini press is ideal if you want to make just a single sandwich for yourself — there's no mess and no need to pull out any heavy appliances or pans. Or you can churn out several sandwiches in just a few minutes if you're having a party or just really love a cheesy panini.