Here we share the experience and know-how of a holiday potluck dinner party with you so you can make your own holiday parties more delicious and effortless than ever. Here are our tips, and below them, a potful of recipes for you to share.
First, decide what everyone will bring. If you leave the dishes to chance, you could possibly end up with more butter tart squares and Nanaimo bars than even our food-loving staff could consume. Or how about a table laden with pasta salads and more pasta salads? No thank you!
Here is a mighty fine menu that combines ease of preparation with crowd-pleasing tastes. All the dishes have enough of a make-ahead component to make them practical for a potluck. Once at the party, it's just a matter of heating, crisping or keeping the dishes cold before tucking in and enjoying the true spirit of culinary cooperation.
Potluck Perfection
- A few weeks ahead, choose a committee; it should include a menu coordinator, kitchen team, serving helpers and cleanup crew.
- The menu coordinator should organize the menu, calculating the number of appetizer nibbles to have while the group is arriving, the main-course entrées, salads, bread, butter and relishes, then dessert.
- Make the potluck a "forks and fingers only" event to avoid having to cut large chunks of food while balancing a plate on your lap.
- Sign up the guests, placing their choice of dish according to category. There may be guests who aren't able to prepare a dish, so for them, there's always beverages, breads or rolls, butter and snack items to help out.
- Ask about allergies or intolerances to ensure there is something to eat for everyone. Provide at least one vegetarian dish for each course.
- Organize a kitchen schedule, making sure there is enough room in the
refrigerator for cold dishes and sufficient stove-top or oven space and time to ready the hot dishes. - Arrange appetizers in one part of the party location, the bar (stocked with juices, water and soft drinks as well as wine and beer) in another and main dishes in a third area. This prevents a crush of people and encourages mingling. Set up dessert and coffee after the entrées have been consumed, giving guests plenty of time to socialize.
- Arrange the serving table so plates come first, then hot dishes and finally cutlery and serviettes. People may prefer having their salad after the main course or else not want their salads buried under lasagne and quiche, so place this sort of item last on the table.
- Keep in mind that most people will want to try everything, so be prepared to offer half and quarter portions. Set out plenty of serving utensils and assign serving duty to volunteers who will slice and scoop. This speeds up the line.
- Especially for big parties, keep cutlery and dishes to a minimum. This saves cleanup, even if using disposable plates, cups, glasses and cutlery.
Cheese Log
Garnish the log with sliced olives and parsley sprigs and serve with crackers.
Feta-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
It's perfect for a potluck party because you make the components ahead of time, then bring your pastry bag to the event to stuff the tomatoes.
Lobster Quiche
Enjoy this delicious no-fail lobster quiche.
Quesadilla Pie
The height of this pie will impress your guests. Make the fillings ahead of time, then assemble and bake the pie at the event.
Greek Ribs
Delight guests with this recipe for simple but tasty ribs.
Nasi Goreng
This traditional Indonesian dish is perfect to reheat in the oven at the event. Be sure to use a shallow serving dish to shorten the reheating time.
Chicken Provençal
This recipe brings the magic of Provence to any party.
Spaghetti Bake
This hearty dish will have your guests begging for the recipe. Be sure to bring it with you! Grating the vegetables reduces the amount of chopping and cooking time.
Wild Rice and Broccoli Casserole
Enjoy creating this potluck favourite, which is great for vegetarians.
An Especially Good Green Salad
Be sure to balance out all the casseroles with a salad or two. Here's one created by the test kitchen especially for a potluck party. The salad is pretty with its two shades of green and made special with the pecans and tangy oranges.
Apple Crumble Cake
This “applelicious” cake is ideal for brunch menus, too.
Custard in Puff Pastry Shells
Share a specialty often found in Canada in Portuguese bakeries. The lemon-scented custard tarts are called Pastéis de nata.
Nut Syrup Cookies
Make these sweet and very tender Macedonian cookies for special occasions. If you like, roll the cookies in finely chopped nuts instead of sprinkling them with icing sugar.
