Fantastic Cuban Sandwiches

I LOVE Cuban sandwiches; they are my favorite to order at The Derby (Atlanta) and Bahama Breeze (Kennesaw) - pretty much the only thing I get at those two places. They are such a yummy mix with the mustard, gooey cheese, tender pork and crunchy bread - and don't forget the pickles! So when I saw this recipe at Cooking with Cristine I knew I wanted to try it out and boy are we all glad I did! This went over VERY well with both of the boys - the pork came out SO juicy and tender with so much flavor. Make this sandwich SOON!! This was such a PERFECT work night dinner - the crock pot does all the work and it only takes about 20 minutes start to finish to get this all together and bake up a side of onion rings or fries or something like that to serve with them!

I started this the night before, so it could marinade overnight per the instructions. I had about a 2.3lb pork roast, salt, marjoram, minced garlic, olive oil, distilled vinegar and pepper.

I put the roast directly in the crock pot insert and added the marinade ingredients. The dry seasonings were sprinkled on (I used marjoram).

On went the minced garlic and that was followed by the olive oil.

I rolled the roast around in the ingredients once or twice and rubbed the seasonings in. The roast was ready to marinate overnight then cook on low for about 11 hours.

 Pulled out all the sandwich fixings - pickles, Swiss cheese, honey mustard, light mayo, ham and 3 half whole wheat hoagie rolls (a new "discovery" I found at Sam's club - they are so tasty)!

 The ingredients were layered on, one at a time!

 A peek at the yummy roast, super tender and perfectly flavored!

 All assembled and ready for the pre-heated sandwich press, using the griddle plates.

I pressed down lightly for about 30 seconds and let these ones cook about 3 1/2 minutes more for a nice golden crust.

 Panini pressed crunchy perfection! (I love our panini press with the interchangeable plates, flat griddle plates and ridged plates for grilling!)

We made a very quick and easy dinner out of these by serving with some onion rings for hubby and some chips and baby carrots for me and the kiddo!

Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking with Cristine.

Ingredients
For the roast:
1 2-pound pork shoulder or butt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano or marjoram
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

For the sandwiches:
Sliced Swiss cheese
Sliced ham
Sliced pickles
Rolls (hoagie rolls or something oblong work best)
Honey mustard
Mayonnaise

Directions
1. For the roast: Combine garlic, pepper, oregano or marjoram, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Rub pork with garlic mixture and refrigerate overnight. Cook in a crock pot on low for 8-12 hours.

2. To assemble the sandwiches, spread a thin layer of both honey mustard and mayo on the insides of the roll. Layer cheese, ham, pickles, roast, and another slice of cheese on the bottom of a roll; top with other half of roll.

3. Press sandwiches in a panini press or skillet until bread is crispy and cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat.