The holiday spirit is near!
Make these new Fig & Goat Cheese Beef Roll Ups for your next party or gathering soon.
This post is sponsored by the Iowa Beef Council.
We are nearing the holidays!
We woke up to snow here in the Midwest and nothing gets me in the spirit more. With Thanksgiving on the horizon and Christmas shortly after I'm getting many requests for holiday appetizers. There is no time of year where we love finger food more!
The Iowa Beef Council and I did some brainstorming and we decided we wanted a bit more of a "fancy" appetizer this holiday season. It's the only time of the year where we tend to spruce up not only our homes but also ourselves, so why not?
These Fig & Goat Cheese Beef Roll Ups could not be more simple - just 3 ingredients - tender, sliced roast beef, flavored goat cheese and dried figs.
That's it!
Now for the nitty gritty. Obviously you can find roast beef anywhere. I would recommend getting it hand sliced from your deli counter and ask for 1/8 inch thickness. Roast beef is tender and full of flavor and is the perfect meat to hold everything together in this appetizer.
Goat cheese can be found in all major retailers in their cheese section. Honestly, I love ALDI's section - they always have great varieties. This cheese is made from goat's milk and is a soft curd cheese that crumbles easily. It is often flavored with fruits or herbs.
Figs are a small, edible fruit that come from a fig tree or brush and can be eaten fresh or dried. In this recipe I used dried figs (ordered here off Amazon for $7.99). Many specialty grocery stores will have them in stock, but ordering online is easy as well. I had mine here in two days. Figs taste similar to a prune, they are sweet and chewy often are eaten fresh or made into jam.
Who doesn't love an appetizer that both looks pretty and only calls for three ingredients? Above are the figs I purchased. Please know that a fresh cranberry would also work well (just make sure they are fresh). They spear well in the toothpick and also give that sweet tart bite to offset the salty goat cheese.
As for the goat cheese I purchased three varieties - garlic & herb, everything seasoning and sweet cranberry stuffing. There are SO MANY kinds out there especially during the holidays, just buy what sounds good to you.
Any goat cheese will spread well on the slices of roast beef!
And how pretty is this presentation?
It kind of reminded me of the whole "butter board sensation". To assemble I used a cheese spreader and put the different goat cheeses on a wooden cutting board to get them working a bit (they were cold straight from the fridge). Then it was just a matter of filling the roast beef slices and rolling up.
Once all rolled up I placed them in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap to firm up a bit. This can be done a day ahead too!
Then before serving, slice the dried figs in half and spear them with the toothpick through the middle of the beef roll up.
A platter of these Fig & Goat Cheese Beef Roll Ups will be a show stopper during the holidays. They are easy to pick up and eat off an appetizer plate.
Or....if you are making small plates for a holiday dinner one of these on each plate next to other small bites would be really pretty.
The options are endless!
The Iowa Beef Council is always great during the holiday season sharing their favorite bite sized appetizers. Some fancier holiday favorites include their Steak Crostini with Horseradish Whip, their Spicy Korean Beef Cucumber Appetizer and their Flaky Beef Stuffed Pinwheels.
Feel free to browse their whole collection HERE.
My girlfriends and I are hosting a small holiday party in December where we all bring small bites to share. Guess what I'm bringing!
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these - flavorful, tender roast beef stuffed with decadent salty goat cheese with a sweet fig pinning it all together. It's the ultimate sweet and savory combination.
Please leave a star rating below on the attached recipe card. This will help many other readers to know if they should make these!
As always a big thank you to the Iowa Beef Council for sponsoring this recipe post.
