Mini Roast Beef Panini

Matt and I are staying in town this year for Christmas so we have decided to have a little open house on Christmas Eve. We decided to serve bite sized comfort food. Given my obsession with my Panini Press, we had to have a dish that is a panini! Our Safeway has the most delicious Cheddar Horseradish Cheese, if you can't find it a sharp Cheddar would work too.

3 Tbs. horseradish cream
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. minced fresh chives
12 slices Italian or Sourdough bread
Olive oil for brushing
3/4 pound thinly sliced roast beef
1/2 pound thinly sliced cheddar-horseradish cheese
Preheat you panini grill to medium-high heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the horseradish cream, mustard, mayo, salt and chives. Set aside. Brush one side of 6 of the bread slices with olive oil. Lay the slices, oiled side down, on a cutting board and brush the tops of each slice with about 1 1/2 Tbs. of the horseradish mixture. Place a few slices of roast beef and a slice of cheese on each of the 6 slices. Top each with one of the plain bread slices and brush the tops with olive oil. Place 3 of the sandwiches on the preheated panini press and cook until crispy and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Place the sandwiches to a cutting board. Cut the crusts off the sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles. Transfer to a pretty platter. You could use the same idea and make little turkey sandwiches, or fancy grilled cheese. It would be fun to serve with small cups of tomato soup.