Fall Lunch Recipe - Black Forest Ham, Sharp Cheddar and Green Apple With Red Onion Mayo Sandwich or Panini

One of my most favorite recipes for Fall!  I've made this every year now for the past four years and our whole family just loves it.  There is nothing like a crisp, fresh green apple, the tart flavor pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the red onion and the sweet smokiness of the ham.  We melt sharp cheddar all over this baby to make it stick together and of course the sharp tangy cheddar compliments all the other flavors and makes for one phenomenal sandwich.  We love these toppings on fresh french bread or on sourdough.  Serve this with a side salad and your belly will thank you.

-1 loaf of either French Bread or Sourdough sliced up

-a few pats of butter

-a grill pan, panini press or even just a regular pan (we wrap up our large cast iron pot in tin foil to press the sandwich down onto another cast iron saute pan, it works great)

-1 big green apple

-sharp cheddar slices

-sliced smoked ham or black forest ham

-1 medium red onion sliced up thin

-1 cup mayo

-fresh black pepper

1. Saute the onion in a bit of butter with a sprinkle of salt to help it sweat.  Once the onions are soft then toss them into the fridge to cool down for a bit.
2. Plop that cup of mayo into the food processor or even the blender if you don't have one, toss the cooled onions in there plus a dash of fresh black pepper and buzz it up a bit.  Put this into the fridge again to sit.
3. Slice your bread, slice the apple (really thin!), slice the cheese or be clever and buy it presliced, slice the ham if it needs slicing.
4. Get the pan hot that you will be using, take it to about a medium heat.
5. Butter one side of your bread.  I like to set it on parchment paper so it won't stick as I build it up with the toppings.
6. We always do onion mayo, ham, apple then cheese and more onion mayo.
7. Put the top slice of bread on and set it in the hot pan to sizzle, when it is golden then flip it and set your heavy pot on top to squish it a little bit.  If you have a panini press then obviously your would not do this, wish I had one!
8. Cut it in half and serve...YUM