Roast Beef Horseradish Roll-Ups (and the Importance of Double Checking Before You Delete Things…)

Sometimes I just crave things for no particular reason.  And today I was craving these little yummies…

These are my version of Roast Beef Roll-Ups.  Or Roast Beast, as my children still say!

About 15 years ago, I found a recipe for a Cold Roast Beef Pizza in one of those Pillsbury mini-cookbooks you used to find at the grocery checkout.  I’ve been making those for many, many years and to be honest, I could quite happily eat a whole one by myself!

One day, I got the bright idea that parts of that recipe would make for a great roll-up and after I tweaked it here and there, this is what I got:

Roast Beef Horseradish Roll-Ups

1/2 cup chive and onion cream cheese (about half of a tub)

1/4 cup mayo

2 Tablespoons creamy horseradish sauce

2 Tablespoons regular cream cheese

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1/2 to 1 cup diced tomatoes

6 oz. Deli Roast Beef

6 flour tortillas (I used soft taco size)

Combine the roast beef, diced tomato, and Italian dressing.  Mix chive/onion cream cheese, regular cream cheese, mayo, and horseradish sauce in a separate bowl, until smooth(ish).

Spread cream cheese mixture onto each tortilla–approximately 2 Tablespoons each.  (There will be some leftover.  You’re welcome!)  Layer on roast beef slices (about 2 per tortilla) and tomatoes.  Start on one end and roll tightly.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Unwrap, slice, and indulge yourself.  Each roll-up equals about six slices.  You can make more or less depending on how thick your slices are.  I usually eat the ends before I plate them, because the ends aren’t as pretty and you should always taste your finished product.  Right??  Also, my platter wasn’t as full as it could have been.  Two of the roll-ups made up my lunch.  Hey, I was hungry!

Now here are some tips:

*You can use any brand of ingredients you like.  I buy a lot of generic or store brands, but on some items I am strictly brand loyal.  I like Hellman’s mayo, but if you like something else, go for it!

*This is a very versatile recipe.  You can use any kind of meat or veggie that you like.  I’ve made these in the past with lettuce instead of tomato and with both lettuce and tomato.  I didn’t have any lettuce in the fridge today, so that wasn’t an option.  I also didn’t have a red tomato (I usually use plum for these), so I used a yellow one.  It gave a little more sweetness and I think it worked well with the horseradish.  Plus, it was from the garden.  It doesn’t get any better than that!

*The plain cream cheese is actually optional.  It doesn’t change the flavor much, but it makes the spread thicker.  I like that, so I use it!

*The roast beef and veggie(s) are better if you let them marinate in the Italian dressing for a little while.  Or a long while.  I pull the slices of meat apart and put them in a zip top bag with the diced veggies and the dressing.  Then I put them in the fridge for a bit.  When you take them out, let some of the dressing drip off or your roll-ups will be super juicy!!

*When you are taking pictures of your wondermous creations, make sure they all load and/or are saved before you delete anything.  I thought everything had transferred to the folder and I deleted them off of my card.  Guess what?  Only half of them were in the folder.  Who knows where the other half went.  If I had bothered to check before I hit delete, you might have had clearer instructions.  But I didn’t.  So…oops!

Anyway,  excuse my pictures (or lack of) and give these Roast Beef Horseradish Roll-ups a try.  You might like them as much as I do!!