Planning a Potluck

AlamyPotluck parties are never quite as easy and carefree as they sound. Sometimes you're hit with a walloping amount of food, like an office picnic I attended where one guest had brought 320 manicotti for 20 people. More often, though, those twenty guests will line up at a table to find a single quiche, four green salads, and nineteen desserts. There's got to be a better way to do it...and there is. Here are a few suggestions for pulling off successful potluck:

Tips for Planning a Potluck

• Make assignments! The standard list of categories: appetizers; green salads; non-green salads (tabouli, for instance) and other sides; main dishes (at least one of which you should provide yourself since it's your party); desserts; and plates, napkins, and cups. If you have a bajillion plates and cups and flatware place settings, you won't need to assign these unless you can't stand the idea of washing so many dishes afterward -- which I wouldn't blame you for. This is a situation where it's okay to use paper.

• If you're having a small gathering, you can make individual assignments, but if you expect upwards of twenty guests, assign categories alphabetically: "Last names beginning with A-C bring appetizers," and so on. (Obviously you'll have to massage the list of assignments if half your friends' last names start with S.) Always provide for at least one vegetarian entrée and a disproportionate number of desserts. No matter what people say, they prefer a wide choice of sweets.

• Inevitably guests will bring foods that need heating up in your oven or microwave. So if you're providing one of the main dishes, consider making something that doesn't need to be served hot, like chicken salad.

• Remember, too, that although guests customarily bring their own serving utensils, you should keep some handy in case. Also some potholders and plenty of trivets.

• Skip the after-dinner coffee or tea -- it adds another whole layer of hassle and planning, and it's just not worth it.

• Potlucks should always be BYOB, though you, as host, should be sure to provide plenty of non-alcoholic drinks. And ICE! Everyone is sad when there's not enough ice. If you don't have an ice maker, get a couple of bags at the supermarket or liquor store to have in reserve.

Tips for Transporting Potluck Food

If you're the host of this potluck, you won't have to worry about how to get the food to your own house. But let's switch the point of view to your guests for a bit, since transporting potluck food is harder than fixing a nuclear reactor. It starts out fiery-hot and then gets cold on the way. Or it's so fiery-hot that it melts the rubber mat on the floor of your car. Or it slides under the one of the seats, or a heavy object from a seat falls onto it. Or any number of disasters that, within five minutes of leaving your house, will have you cursing your host for being so cruel as to invite you over.

To keep from dying of nervousness on the way:

• All potluck food should be set on the floor of the car, not the seats. And all seats should be cleared of projectiles like books and boots.

• Tape your serving utensils onto a tray or baking sheet with masking tape.

• Don't plate your food until you get to the potluck; just bring it in the serving dish or bowl you used to make it.

• If a serving dish or pan is hot, don't set it down on the car's floor "naked." Always put down old newspapers or magazines first, and wedge the dish securely in a corner with some old sweatshirts or something. Remember to bring potholders along with you, or you won't be able to get the dish into your host's house.

• Desserts that are too fragile to cover easily should be set into a large pan or baking dish and surrounded with pieces of crumpled plastic wrap, which will expand to fill the space and keep them from sliding around.

• If you're forced to bring a dessert -- or any other dish -- that's too big to put into a pan (a cake, say, or a big dish of salad), tape down a "moat" of crumpled plastic wrap on the car floor, place the food inside it, and use more crumpled plastic wrap to secure it. Yes, it's wasteful, but it will be even more wasteful if you get so worried about your cake sliding around that you accidentally drive off the road.

• Finally, get onto the mailing list of a corrugated carton supply store so you can buy a bunch of corrugated cardboard trays -- the kind that flats of berries come in (I get mine from uline.com). Cardboard trays can carry anything from turkeys to cupcakes. They can be double-stacked for heavy items. You definitely won't care if you forget to bring them home. And you can get 50 or 100 at a time -- enough for all the potlucks you'll be attending throughout the rest of recorded history.

Great Potluck Recipes

• Spanish Style Mac & Cheese Casserole -- Add a sophisticated kick to your next mac and cheese casserole with a whisper of smoky chorizo, red peppers, and buttery Manchego.
• Chicken Pot Pie -- This dish is comfort food all the way with creamy chicken topped with tender biscuits. Save some time by using a cooked chicken from the supermarket. You can make the filling one day ahead.
• Enchilada Casserole -- Vegetarians won't be the only ones devouring this casserole at the next potluck supper. Filled with a creamy mixture of refried beans, corn and onion, these corn tortilla soak up the piquant ancho-tomato sauce.
• Sausage and Pepper Torta -- Think of this like pizza in a hearty, potluck-friendly form; it goes great with green salads.
• Nutty Swiss Chard, Squash, and Cannelloni Bake -- The hazelnut crumb topping provides a crunchy contrast to the silky vegetables in this vegetarian casserole. This can be made in a casserole or baking dish for potluck transport, but for home you can use a cast-iron skillet for maximum oven to table ease.
• Seafood Lasagne -- Skip the usual tomato and cheese lasagne and try this perfect party dish instead. Full of creamy sauce and chunks of shrimp, scallops, and mussels, this lasagne will win everyone over.
• Finnish Pork and Mushroom Pie -- Many countries make meat pies and this Scandinavian version is a winner. Rich and full of earthy mushroom flavor, it can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
• Salmon Chowder -- This easy meal in a bowl is so welcome on a cold evening and it feeds a crowd. Also a good match with green salads and a loaf of whole-grain bread.
• Turkey Stew with Succotash and Buttermilk Cornbread -- A small amount of smoked turkey goes a long way to deliver lots of flavor in this homey supper casserole. The filling can be made one day ahead.
• Curried Chicken and Rice -- This curried chicken and rice dish is fragrant and warming but not overly hot. If you are a spice lover, feel free to add some cayenne to the onion purée.

See more casserole recipes.
Find great potluck desserts, like crisps and crumbles.
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