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Man with a plan

Since running a restaurant is like throwing a huge dinner party every night, we asked Mark Baker, chef-owner of Merk Snackbar (merksnackbar.com) in Hamilton, for tips on hosting the big holiday meal.

There are so many steps to planning a holiday meal. Where do you start?

First, make sure you know how many people are coming, as it could help reduce costs and time. Second, plan your protein, because it’s the centrepiece. Whether it’s turkey, ham or beef, source that as soon as possible. Then decide on veg and starch, and you’ll have a list by the end of it.

What task is best delegated to family and friends?

Cleanup. Many people use their best china during the holidays—10 people can lead to 40 dishes. That’s a lot of dishes! Plus there are cooking pans, serving platters and more. But make sure you get all the plates scraped and on the counter by the sink, so they can just come in and do the dishes. They’re still guests.

What are a few tips on prepping dinner?

I do all my chopping the night before and put food into containers so it’s ready to go. Any sauces or gravies: Make those ahead of time too. Peel and put potatoes in water in the fridge so you can just dump them in the pot. All that chopping takes time and space; you need that for dinner.

How do you get around the challenges of putting out a big meal in a home kitchen?

Use your barbecue as an extra full-scale cooking space—grill some vegetables, heat up the potatoes. Use all of the things you have available. And throw your drinks outside, even on a back balcony. One of the coolest things I discovered as a teenager was keeping drinks in the snow. That’s genius!

Any final advice?

Accept that you’re not going to be a part of the party. You’re the host, making sure everyone else is having a good time. You will celebrate at the end.