Roast Beef Toasts with Horseradish Cream
April 18, 2020 by Nicole Collins
What's the craziest thing that quarantine has made you do?
I was watching this video online the other day of this woman using a bread knife to cut her hair, because she was tired of the rat's nest it had become from not brushing it for two weeks. Then, after she got the majority of it off, she ran some clippers through it and gave herself a mullet.
And all I could think to myself was “wouldn't just taking a shower have been a much easier solution?”
I had a ridiculous moment earlier in the week. Not quite that cuckoo, but I'm certainly still rolling my eyes at myself.
I've been having this insane craving for a beer. I'd actually been craving a Corona Light long before this COVID-19 stuff started. But, on a normal weekend, I'm finished my grocery errands long before the liquor stores open; so I kept telling myself “I'll get it next weekend. I'll get it next weekend”. And then, next weekend became dangerous to leave the house, and that was that.
But, a lot of local businesses have been adding a delivery feature to their businesses; so I took advantage of that as soon as I could. Maryland has a lot of laws regarding alcohol delivery and distribution, so it was actually really difficult to find anybody that could just deliver me a beer. When I found a local spot that was doing delivery for a “surprisingly low fee”, I was all in.
Even when I saw there was a $99 order minimum to qualify for delivery.
So on Monday, a very nice young man delivered me 6 cases of beer and 1 bottle of sparkling wine that combined can easily last me the next two years.
All because I wanted ONE beer.
There really are no rules (other than stay inside and wash your hands) when it comes to this quarantine. And, today's recipe is kinda breaking the rules too.
Today, we're making Roast Beef Toasts with Horseradish Cream!
Here's the thing about this recipe. I absolutely could not decide if I wanted this recipe to be a full sized toast or a cute little crostini. I went back and forth for days trying to decide. And in the end, I couldn't choose one. So, it's a free for all, because we're making both!
So, that's really the first decision that you have to make...crostini or toast? Either way, we're going to drizzle the bread with a little olive oil, and let it toast in the oven for a few minutes, and get ready to pile on our toppings.
To hold our toppings on our bread, we're going to make a quick and easy horseradish cream cheese. We mix some prepared horseradish with some whipped cream cheese, and we're ready to schmear on our bread.
From here, all that's left to do is assemble. Deli roast beef, thinly sliced radishes, sliced red onion, sweet grape tomatoes, and tangy capers all get piled on top of our yummy little toasts. Add some fresh parsley for garnish, and we're just about ready to eat.
Now in my mind, these toasts were a breakfast/brunch treat; so I decided to add a perfectly jammy egg to the situation. For the full sized toasts, the egg can go right on top. For the crostini, they look adorable nestled next to the toasts on the platter. The little bit of goo from the soft yolk adds a richness to this dish without having yolk dripping all over your face. I really love a good jammy egg and think this totally belongs with these toasts whether you're having them for breakfast or not.
Either way, these toasts are a total explosion in your mouth. You have a little mild spice from the horseradish, a peppery bite from the radish, and a sharp tang from the red onion. Then, there's the salty/tangy capers that cut through the hearty beef whilst everything rests on top of perfectly toasted bread that's crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Talk about one amazing bite!
Alrighty...don't leave me hanging here. Tell me all about the questionable decisions being quarantined has led you to make.
Have a wonderful weekend! Let's eat!
Roast Beef Toasts with Horseradish Cream
Serves: 4 toasts or 16 crostini Print
Ingredients:
16 slices baguette (sliced ½ inch thick), or 4 slices whole grain bread
2-3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz whipped cream cheese
2 tsp prepared horseradish
6 slices deli roast beef, torn
2 radishes, thinly sliced
2 tbsp red onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ tbsp capers
½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced
2 soft boiled eggs, quartered
½ tbsp parsley, chopped
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Make the horseradish cream cheese: In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and prepared horseradish. Stir until combined. Set aside.
Make the toasts: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush both sides of the baguette slices or bread with olive oil, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 mins, flip, and bake an additional 5-6 mins until lightly golden.
To serve, schmear a dollop of horseradish cream cheese on the crostini or toast. Top with torn roast beef, radishes, red onion, capers, tomatoes, and parsley. Season with fresh cracked black pepper, to taste. For crostini, serve with soft boiled eggs on the side. For toast, top with soft boiled eggs. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*To make the soft boiled eggs: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add both eggs, and boil for exactly 7 mins. Remove eggs from boiling water and place immediately in a bowl of ice water. After 2-3 mins when the eggs are cool enough to touch, carefully peel the eggs and cut them in quarters.
*I truly couldn't decide if I liked the crostini or the full toast better, so I figured I'd let you decide!
*This is a fun hors d'oeuvres for a brunch party. I liked packing the components separately, assembling when I'm ready to eat, and having the crostini as lunch.
