Roast beef, boursin, and asparagus bundles
Instructions:
- Trim the asparagus spears to about 5 inches long. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt per cup of water. Add the asparagus. Cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or strainer to immediately transfer the asparagus into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the bright green color. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- Cut off the top and bottom of the pepper. Set the pepper upright on the cutting board. Looking down from the top, cut the sides of the pepper away from the core. You should have 3 or 4 large, flat pieces of pepper. Trim away any remaining ribs. Cut the flat pieces into a total of 24 long, thin strips about 1⁄4-inch wide. This is easiest if the pieces of pepper are skin-side down. Finely dice any remaining pepper, including the trimmed top and bottom, to use as garnish.
- The slices of beef should be no more than about 4 1⁄2-inches wide so that the tips of the vegetables are exposed when rolled, so trim the slices if necessary.
- It’s easier and less messy to assemble these in batches instead of one at a time. Arrange 12 slices of beef on a work surface. Use your fingers to spread about 2 rounded teaspoons of Boursin down the center of each slice. Place 1 asparagus spear and 1 pepper strip on top of the Boursin, letting the tips stick out past the beef so that they’ll show. Gently roll up each slice into a small, tight bundle, like a little log. Repeat with the remaining beef, Boursin, and vegetables.
- Arrange the bundles on a serving platter. To garnish, sprinkle with the chives and the finely diced pepper. Serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.
- What else works? You can replace the asparagus with blanched slender green beans (fillet beans) or wax beans. For a meatless variation, wrap the asparagus and Boursin in wide pieces of roasted red pepper.
- Make-ahead note: You can make the bundles up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.