Chicken Sausage, Apple Butter and Fontina Panini with Caramelized Red Onions

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup spiced apple butter homemade store-bought
• 4  chicken-apple sausage links fully-cooked (such as Aidell's)
• 1 small ciabatta rolls divided
• 8 ounces fontina shredded
• 3 medium onions red halved sliced
• 4 servings salt and pepper 
• 2 tablespoons butter unsalted

Equipment

• frying pan
• grill
• panini press

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook the onions for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the onions are soft, deep burgundy in color and caramelized, another 20 minutes.Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat.Slice each chicken-apple sausage link in half lengthwise without slicing all the way through, then fold open the sausage.
3. Place the sausages, cut side down, on the panini grill. Close the lid and grill the sausages for 4 to 5 minutes until they are heated through and grill marks appear.For each sandwich: Slice the ciabatta in half lengthwise to create top and bottom halves.
4. Sprinkle cheese over the bottom half of bread and spread apple butter inside the top half. Top the cheese with the grilled sausage caramelized onions. Close the sandwich with the top half of bread, apple butter side down.Grill the panini until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted, about 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Cut in half and serve immediately.