EASY HAM AND ASPARAGUS ROLL-UPS

Easy Ham and Asparagus Roll-Ups image

Provided by Jeanne Pence

Time 25m

Number Of Ingredients 7

30 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed to width of ham slices
8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp prepared horseradish, to taste
1/2-1 tsp sugar, to taste
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
1 pinch salt and pepper
15 slice good quality prosciutto ham

Steps:

1. Wash and trim asparagus spears - save bottoms for another use if not too woody. Blanch briefly 2 min in boiling salted water and remove stalks to bowl of ice water to stop cooking process and retain crispness/color.
2. Cream together cheese, horseradish, sugar, and spices to your personal taste. (Some like it lighter/sweeter and others like the full-on horseradish flavor!) Blend thoroughly with mixer until creamy.
3. Drain and dry asparagus spears. Spread cream cheese mixture onto prosciutto slices in moderate layer, then place 2 asparagus spears across the width of ham slice. Roll up asparagus in cream cheese mixture to end of ham strip. Keep refrigerated until served. If you are finicky about uniform appearances, you can slice off the bottom of each with a sharp knife after refrigerating a while for exactly flat and matching edges (cook gets to eat the scraps!). These are colorful, quick and easy, and very unusual snacks to serve as many people have never tasted them before. The sweet, salty, and spicy elements blend together with the savory asparagus to make an explosion of mouth feel and flavor! Always a hit at our house, or when we take them to parties.