11 March 2007
From the Resident Potluck Director
For the past half year or so, I have been holding a monthly potluck with about 15 friends at work. I always emphasize that while contributing homemade dishes is preferred, doing so is not necessary to attend. The potluck is about coming together over food, not about culinary skills.
In recent months the potlucks have had themes. October’s potluck had an autumn motif, which lead to far too many apple-based desserts and not enough main dishes. Now I attempt to make everyone tell me in advance what they’re bringing in order to avoid what I refer to as “the dessert fiasco.” The combined November/December potluck was centred around the holidays and winter fare. For something a little different, January’s theme was my co-worker Brad & myself since we both have January birthdays. Invitees were encouraged to come up with dishes based on our preferences. For Brad: crescent rolls, casseroles, cream soda. For me: vegetarian dishes and the colour pink [not necessarily in food, but I was just curious as to what people would come up with]. And with the last potluck in February we celebrated Chinese New Year.
Everyone always seems to enjoy the food and the company, and it’s always interesting to see & taste what people bring. Sometimes you really are reminded that it’s a potluck.
So as the Resident Potluck Director at work, here are some helpful tips to make your potluck a successful one:
- Emphasize that the food doesn’t have to be homemade. This way non-cooks can join in without feeling intimidated.
- Don’t forget about the side items, like drinks, chips or bread. Invitees who are pressed for time or don’t like to cook will gladly bring in any of these.
- Themes can help invitees come up with ideas but don’t force everyone to stay in theme. A potluck is about coming together, eating and having fun. If you want to be a menu control freak, then make everything yourself.
- Encourage attendees to let you know what they’re bringing. Then if it’s the day before and someone is stressing over what to bring, you can easily tell them what gaps need to be filled.
- Don’t fret about your dish having to fill up every person. For our first potluck, I made a massive amount of pasta salad, at least half of which I took home. At communal meals like this, people usually take smaller portions since there is so much from which to choose.
- Think about the appropriateness of your dish. Assuming you make your dish the night before, will it taste as good the next day? Will it reheat well? Does it need to be eaten as soon as it’s made? Can it be made quickly on-site?
- Think about the electrical, appliance or space limitations of wherever you’re holding the potluck. How will people reheat their dishes? Is there an oven? A microwave? Is there a fridge in which attendees can store their dishes? All this will affect what people bring and what size container in which they bring it.
- Don’t invite super picky, whiny eaters. You can’t please everybody, so only invite people whose tastebuds are a little adventuresome. After my initial potluck, I have never invited one of my closest friends at work because she is the pickiest eater I know and has no problem expressing her disgust in whatever people are eating. So to keep her from insulting someone’s home-cooked dish, she has been stricken from the invite list.
- Don’t feel forced to try everything. At our first couple potlucks, I tasted all the vegetarian-friendly dishes, even the ones I didn’t really want to. Afterwards I was full and not in a happy satisfied way. Now I only eat what tempts me.
- Relax and remember that potlucks are really about the company. Even if you love to cook, it’s okay to bring in something store-bought. We all are pressed for time on occasion.
Since I always make something even when I’m crazy busy, I’m still working on remembering that last tip myself :)
Even with all my tips, you will still be searching for potluck-appropriate recipes. So to help you out the next time you host or attend a potluck, here’s the recipe for a dish that I made for the November/December gathering that was a huge hit.
Mini Goat Cheese & Date Tortas
makes 12 servings | prep time: 15 min.
1/2 c. pitted dates, chopped
2 [3 oz.] packages goat cheese1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. baby spinach24 [1/4-inch thick] slices French baguette, toasted
3 Tbsp. red bell pepper, diced
1. Combine dates and goat cheese in food processor. Set aside.
2. Combine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, sugar, paprika and garlic. Stir with a whisk. Add baby spinach to vinaigrette, tossing gently to coat.
3. Divide spinach mixture evenly over bread slices. Top each slice with 1 tablespoon date mixture plus red pepper pieces. Serve immediately.
Since the tortas are supposed to eaten immediately after they are made, the night before the potluck I combined the dates & goat cheese, made the vinaigrette, toasted the baguette slices, and diced the red pepper. Then I stored everything in individual containers. The next day I brought all the semi-finished ingredients to work, and I assembled the tortas right before the meal. This ensured that the crostini didn’t become soggy due to the vinaigrette, but I also didn’t have to do all the work directly before the potluck.
The tortas disappeared, and I can’t say that I didn’t have at least 3 of them myself. The combination of flavours and textures works incredibly well. There’s the sweetness of the dates with the slight tang of the goat cheese, merged with a wee spiciness & saltiness of the vinaigrette, cooling smoothness of the spinach, sweetness of the red pepper, and the crunch of the toasted baguette. All together it makes for a fabulous potluck contribution.