Potluck Planning: Main Dish Ideas for Room Temperature Serving

[leftymac]

I have a potluck next week and last time I made the Cranberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake from the Festive Holiday Desserts Cookbook and they all went gaga over it. I want to make something else (preferably a main dish) but it should be something that's ok at roomish temperature. Any suggestions?

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

I'd suggest the southwest salad in the Triffle Bowl, thus showing it off. Or ANY salad in the triffle bowl. They are an April special so you can't go wrong.I have a potluck next month (a crowd I'm not familiar with) and am going to devise a lemon triffle that's different from the recipe posted here. Simply lemon pound cake, layered with lemon creme pudding (or french vanilla with some lemon juice) and cool whip.

 

[esavvymom]

This isn't a MAIN Dish- but a fantastic Side Dish. We loved this dish!! I can't wait until the good summer veggies/basil are in season to make it again.
It is a 'salad' by name, but not the lettuce/tomato type. It was in the S/S 09 Mini-Catalog.

Potato and Green Bean Salad with Fresh Pesto
Fresh basil pesto adds exhilarating flavor to this summer dish.

Salad:
1 1/2 lb fingerling potatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 tbsp Basil Oil or Olive Oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb fresh green beans
1/2 small red onion

Basil Pesto:
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp Basil Oil (I used Olive Oil)
1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. For salad, toss potatoes, oil and salt in Stainless (4qt) Mixing Bowl. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on Large Bar Pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway through; remove from oven.

2. Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil in (2qt) Saucepan. Cut green beans in half. Add green beans to Saucepan and cook 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain using Strainer and immediately plunge green beans into a bowl of ice water. Let stand 5 minutes; drain and pat dry with paper towels. Slice onion into thin wedges using Chef's Knife. For Pesto, finely chop together basil and pine nuts using Food Chopper. Place basil mixture and remaining pesto ingredients in Small Batter Bowl; whisk until well blended. (I actually made the pesto in my food processor- pulse the nuts/basil, drizzle in the oil till blended.)

3. Combine potatoes, green beans, and onion in same mixing bowl. Pour basil mixture over vegetables, tossing to coat. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings (1 cup serving size) ...so actually could be more than just 6 servings

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad!

But for a potluck....hmmmm, it's hard for a main dish, other than a salad.

The Chicken Pesto Flatbread is really good too!

 

[RMDave]

Well there's always Keith's Warm Chocolate Fudge Cake that receives raves on a strangely consistent basis.Hmmmmmmm. What about the Cool & Crunchy Chicken Tacos? My AD said they were delicious but messy to eat. She suggest making the filling and serve as a salad topped with avocado slices and tortilla chips around the bowl. Maybe in the Trifle Bowl?

 

[NooraK]

See Keith, I'm not the only one who gravitated to the Trifle Bowl and salads!