Give a potluck some pizzazz
Don’t make food-sharing with friends seem like an afterthought, Karen Barnaby writes.
I think of myself as a potluck expert. In the past six years, I’ve participated in approximately 250 potlucks.
Why so many? I belong to a community engagement group of spoon and instrumental horn carvers who get together once a week.
Participants get access to the tools and knowledge, and are asked to bring a dish to share for dinner.
We sometimes are bursting at the seams with 18 people. On average we usually host about 10.
After keen observation, I’ve determined that these are things not to bring to a potluck: stale buns or bread, burnt food, undercooked food, underseasoned food, food that looks like sludge, a jar of relish or jam, hummus, raw vegetables with dip, a bottle of kombucha, or come with raw ingredients expecting to cook them.
Also frowned upon are desserts from grocery stores.
What has been popular? Meatballs, shepherd’s pie, fried rice, borscht, fish curry, quinoa salads, interesting salads, chickpea curry, caesar salad, chicken wings, grilled or roasted vegetables, pakoras, Scotch broth, salmon casserole, crustless spanakopita, storebought rotisserie chicken, roasted root vegetables, mashed potatoes with gravy, chicken or vegetable soups, cut up seasonal fruit, kale salad, good cheese, cooked bacon, ice-cream and homemade desserts.
I plan ahead because I know the dinner is happening. There’s no last-minute cooking panic or a box of frozen spring rolls in my domain.
You may think I’m extreme and snobby. It’s just a potluck after all, right?
To my way of thinking a potluck shows your character. If sharing food with others is an afterthought, it definitely shows.