Roast Beef and Cheddar Pinwheels
One of my favorite parts of Super Bowl Sunday is the food! I love to make all kinds of appetizers. This year I will be serving Roast Beef and Cheddar Pinwheels. They are not complicated and are oh so good.
Deli roast beef is cut into small pieces and mixed with cream cheese and cheddar. The mixture is spread over a sheet of puff pastry and rolled into a log. You can make this ahead and refrigerate or freeze it. The chilled log is cut into pinwheels and baked until golden brown.
The flaky puff pastry and the gooey cheese are warm and bubbly but sturdy enough to eat with your hand.
Horseradish
Horseradish is traditionally served with roast beef. It gives a slight peppery bite that balances well with the roast beef and cheddar. Horseradish is a root vegetable that is traditionally grated and mixed with other ingredients. Prepared horseradish (which is what I recommend for this recipe) is mixed with vinegar, salt and sugar and sometimes other stabilizers. Horseradish sauce is usually horseradish mixed with mayonnaise. You can also find horseradish sauces that are prepared horseradish mixed with sour cream, heavy cream, or mayo.
If you love the taste of horseradish, add a full three tablespoons of prepared horseradish to the cream cheese mixture. If you like just a little peppery bite, use one tablespoon of horseradish. If you really dislike horseradish, you can leave it out of the recipe.
Roast Beef and Cheddar Pinwheels
Puff pastry is rolled with a mixture of deli roast beef, cheddar cheese and horseradish. It is a perfect warm and flaky appetizer.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 7 oz Deli Roast Beef cut into 1 inch pieces.
- 1 Cup (4 oz ) Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1-3 Tablespoons Prepared Horseradish (Optional, see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 (8.1 oz) Sheet of Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed. (see note)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with roast beef, cheddar cheese, horseradish, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. I like to use an electric mixer, but if the cream cheese is soft enough you can do this by hand.
- Roll the puff pastry into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle.
- Spread the roast beef and cheese mixture over the puff pastry leaving a 1/2 inch boarder of puff pastry on one long side.
- Roll the puff pastry into a log starting with the long end without the boarder. Using the small boarder, pinch the dough together so the log stays together.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can make this in advance (see note.)
- While the log is chilling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice the log into 1/2 inch rolls and place them on two parchment lined baking sheets. You want plenty of space between each pinwheel for the pastry to puff and get golden brown.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 18-22 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
- Serve.
Notes
Horseradish-
You want to use "prepared horseradish" not "horseradish sauce." Horseradish sauce usually has mayonnaise and is not as strong as prepared horseradish.
If you do not love the flavor of horseradish you can use just one Tablespoon or omit it completely.
Puff Pastry-
It is best to thaw puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight. You can "quick thaw" at room temperature, but I find it is better to thaw in the refrigerator.
Make Ahead-
You can form the log ahead of time. It will keep in the refrigerator for two days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. You can also freeze the wrapped log for up to two week. If you freeze it you want to thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking.
Slicing the Pinwheels-
I like to use unflavored dental floss to cut the pinwheels. Use a 12 inch piece of floss to slice the pinwheels. (See Video.)
You can use a serrated knife, but I find dental floss works much better.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 66Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 195mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and may not be completely accurate.
Marie Fiebach is a married mother of four active kids. She helps busy families plan and execute weeknight dinner so they can recapture a little calm in the crazy. You can see her every week on KAKE TV’s Good Morning Kakeland or listen to the Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast.
