Hye Roller Sandwiches
Tasty, Pretty Pinwheels
Hye Roller Sandwiches, also known as pinwheels, are a perfect summer recipe.
When I was in college I worked at a local grocery store chain in Chicago called Jewel-Osco. I think elsewhere in the country it is called Albertson’s.
The department I worked in was the Chef’s Kitchen, which was a deli/bakery combination since our store was one of the smaller ones. I was only 18 years old and was the youngest person to ever work in the department.
My co-workers were all mostly in their 50’s and some were even older. As the youngest and newest member of the department, they gave me all the jobs they didn’t want to do.
One of the jobs was making the catering trays that were to be picked up over the weekend. One of our most popular catering trays was the Hye Roller tray which was a variety of pinwheel sandwiches made with shaved deli meat and cheeses as well as thinly sliced veggies.
The ladies hated this job but I secretly loved making these trays.
I particularly loved making this Hye Roller tray because you would have to cut the ends off the rolled tortillas so that it was aesthetically pleasing. This meant that I was able to eat the ends that were left over.
As a broke college student, this was a dream come true!
This recipe takes some prep and some assembly, but I promise you it is worth it.
The FULL, printable recipe is linked at the end of this post, but first I will share some tips in the next few sections.
Tip One: Spread to the Edges
Make sure you spread your cream cheese mixture to the edges of the burrito tortilla. The cream cheese acts as a “glue” that will hold your rolled up tortilla together.
You want to make sure that the cream cheese is evenly and completely spread across the entire width of the tortilla.
Tip Two: Get it Shaved
Make sure that you ask for your lunch meat shaved.
I mean paper thin!
If the meat is thick, it will slide out when you are slicing your roll ups.
I use shaved Krakus Ham. This is a polish ham that goes really well with this recipe although any lunch meat combination will do.
Tip Three: Refrigerate First
Refrigerate your rolled tortillas for a few hours to make cutting easier.
I also keep a damp paper towel on the cutting board so that I can wipe my knife in between each cut. This keeps the cuts clean and makes the pinwheels look lovely.
A Perfect Party Snack
This is a great recipe for parties and potlucks. I love to make these for wedding and baby showers.
This is also a great recipe to make for days at the beach, the pool, or on the boat. You can assemble the roll ups the day before and slice them right before serving.
They also keep pretty well, sliced, in the fridge for a couple days. The tortilla’s get a little soft but I wouldn’t say they are soggy.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I always have!
Hye Roller Sandwiches
These pinwheel sandwiches are so versatile and also delicious. Shaved deli meat wrapped in a burrito shell with whipped cream cheese and all the toppings make a delicious dish for parties, picnics, boating, the beach and wedding and baby showers. These are always a hit and get eaten very fast so double the recipe!
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 Large Flour Burrito size tortillas
- 1.5 pounds of shaved ham
- 1 pound of shaved salami
- 3 cups of shredded ice berg lettuce
- 3 roma tomatoes cut into thin slices
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- dill pickle slices
- 1.5 cups cream cheese
- 1 packet of powdered Italian Salad Dressing
Instructions
- Soften your cream cheese and add to a bowl with the packet of Italian Salad dressing, mix by hand vigorously until fluffy or use an electric mixer.
- Use a spreader and spread the cream cheese on the tortilla making sure the cream cheese gets all the way to the edges.
- On one third of the tortilla layer first the ham, press down a little bit so that it sticks in the cream cheese, then add the onions, tomatoes, pickles, a decent amount of the shredded lettuce and then a layer of salami.
- Start rolling the tortilla from the side with the filling, you will have to tuck the fillings in as you roll.
- Make sure the tortilla is sealed at the closure, you can use additional cream cheese if needed to "glue" it closed.
- Repeat the process until all your tortillas are filled and rolled, place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up until twenty four hours.
- Using a cutting board and sharp knife, begin slicing the tortillas. I keep a damp paper towel so that I can wipe my knife off in between cuts. Cut the end off the rolled tortilla first, the part that doesn't have a lot of filling, you can snack on these. Then make even 1.5 inch round cuts so that the rollers are all even.
- Place on a platter and add shredded lettuce and pickles for garnish. You can also serve with some kind of dressing or pickled veggies in the center.
1 Comments
Rebecca Freeman Radovich
October 7, 2024 at 6:14 am
Also being a midwestern girl, I remember Jewel Osco and these pinwheels! I have tried to recreate them but they never roll up nicely – yours look perfect! Can you tell me a little more about how the fillings went in? The picture of the ham on the tortilla is the only one and I’m unsure about the placement for the other fillings and how far up they should go – do you just stack them all on top of each other? Thanks!