Meat and Cheese Roll-Ups

26/09/2018 by Living the Gourmet 27 Comments

Thank you Tillamook for sponsoring this post. For a limited time this fall, try Tillamook's Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slices! Available at Costco.

These delicate roll-ups are the perfect accompaniment to your upcoming Fall gatherings. They are easy to make and elegant alongside any spread.

It’s a familiar scene. You’ve planned out an elaborate dinner party, invited all the familiar faces, and seemingly everything is going according to plan. The dinner turned out delicious, the guests were content and happy, and just as you sat down…everyone got up to leave.

It’s a situation I’ve put myself through more than once, and it’s the ‘problem’ where tackling today.

To start off, let’s begin with one of the best ways of actually pleasing your guests, and then work our way back from there. Simply put, few things are as foolproof for impressing guests as a well thought out, well presented, and of course delicious, appetizer spread. It’s the introduction to the main meal, and the ‘ice breaker’ for the event’s socialization. Whether it’s an elaborate antipasto that takes as much effort as the entrée, or simple ‘bites’ over drinks, this is perhaps the surest way of heightening your event’s atmosphere, while showing your guests that you really went the extra mile for their enjoyment.

Now, while I’ve covered the aforementioned antipastos before, just recently in fact, what about simpler alternatives? What about those times when want to put together something nice for your guests, but also want to actually ‘enjoy’ your guests company without having to stand for hours in the kitchen? That, of course, is where today’s appetizer spread comes in. Today’s Roll-Ups serves quite well during the fall, and even possibly as ‘cocktail’ bites for New Year’s, Halloween, or even Christmas Day parties. Delicious, fresh tasting, and looking like they took meticulous effort, these are crowd pleasers to the core – but are also a deceptively simple, time saving alternative to more elaborate antipasto recipes.

Now, to start things off, we begin with good quality cold cuts, and for the cheese I’ll be using Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slices, which are conveniently available at Costco in two pound bags for a limited time this fall through November. Tillamook is my cheese of choice for this recipe for the simple reason that it’s made with just three simple ingredients before being aged, naturally, for fifteen months to achieve its signature sharpness and flavor – making it the perfect complement to my Cold Cut Roll-Ups.

From there, we begin with the Roast Beef Roll-Ups. To start, we lay out a slice of roast beef, top it with the Tillamook cheese, and then spread a whipped cream cheese over the cheese. In the center of the cream cheese we place a few fresh cilantro leaves, a bit of fresh dill, some green relish, and thin slices of fresh English cucumber. Then carefully roll the roast beef as depicted below, and secure it closed with a couple of toothpicks. Then slice the roll through the middle as pictured below, and then slice off the ‘rough’ ends on either side to achieve a clean, ‘crisp’ look as shown below.

We then do the same for the ham, layering on the Tillamook cheese followed by the whipped cream, but this time we use fresh basil, tomato relish, sliced avocado, and red onion. Then roll, secure with toothpicks, and slice as before.

Again, we follow the same process for the Turkey, layering on the Tillamook cheese followed by the whipped cream, but this time we use fresh chives, pimentos, green relish, and carrots. Then roll, secure it closed with toothpicks, and slice.