Need to bring side dish for 25

[golden1225]

This year's office holiday party will be at the home of one of our agents. The company is providing the meat, but we've been asked to sign up to bring everything else. What would you bring? I'd say the group is relatively unadventurous in their food choices and few that enjoy cooking. So - I'd like to bring a "wow" dish, but yet nothing too odd for this country town.
Help!

[bekki]

I love this for a large group because it's super easy and reasonably affordable. Also, it travels really well. You could leave the feta on the side for people to add as they see fit. I think the recipe would serve 6-8 as a side, so it should be easy to multiply it.

I usually leave the oil out of the dressing, or reduce it dramatically, as there's a lot of oil left on the veggies. I also don't like eggplant, so I leave that out and roast halved mushrooms instead. I've never used basil in it, but I'm sure it would be good.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables Copyright 2001 Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All rights reserved

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

[golden1225]

Hey Bekki,
That's funny that you posted this recipe; it's a standard here at my house. I actually thought about it first, but as I've made it for several open houses (which this group has attended) and had lots of weird faces made at it, I discarded it as too "odd" for this crowd. I work in a small country town and this group isn't fond of anything out of the ordinary, much to my dismay. I was very dismayed to learn that my company wasn't having the party catered as usual, even though the catering was nothing more than big pans of green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn, and dressing to go with the turkey and ham. So....there you have it!
But I think this dish is FABULOUS as well!! Around here we call it "Hurricane" salad, as it never fails that I make a big batch and we have a hurricane watch come up!
:) :)

[JJeannette]

How about something like a corn fritter casserole?

[PattiA]

since these folks don't appreciate adventurous, I'd make something like Green Beans tossed with Bacon and Shallots (tell them it is onion). Simple, delicious, won't challenge them and won't leave you disappointed with not being able to please them.

Another option is homemade dinner rolls. Who wouldn't love homemade bread?

CL's Pumpkin Biscuits also come to mind, but is pumpkin too adventurous for them? Maybe a plain biscuit.

[heavy hedonist]

Whatever you do, you don't really have to make enough for 25. When it's a large potluck like that, you should bring enough for about half to share-- eveyone isn't bound to bringing enough for everyone. My God, there would be so much leftover food, you'd need to have another potluck! So make a dish for 10-12, and if you feel insecure about it, bring some rolls too.

[cumulus]

Cheesy potatoes- you can't go wrong :) My aunt has a crockpot recipe (let me know if you're interested), and my favorite is posted below.

Two Potato Gratin

3 pounds mixed russet potatoes and sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced (use a V-slicer if you have one)
Butter for baking dish and foil
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped sage ( I use 1t dried)
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese (Cheddar works well too, and is cheaper)
(I usually add some onions in here as well)

Spread potatoes in a buttered 11x7-inch baking dish (Mine have been fine in a 13x9). Combine heavy whipping cream, chicken broth, chopped sage, garlic, and salt; pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover with buttered foil; bake at 425°F for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with Gruyère cheese. Bake uncovered until brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let rest before serving.

[golden1225]

Oooh - that 2 Potato Casserole sounds like just the ticket - thank you!!! I'd love the recipe for the corn fritter casserole as well. I may just make both!
Thanks again - I knew you all would come through for me!
:D

[patissac]

Lynne, I too was going to suggest CL's Corn Fritter Casserole, I made it here at work long time ago and people went nuts for it. There is also a Butternut squash casserole from Boston Market that looks good too that you can find on copykat. For the September meeting I made a Hashbrown Casserole from CL that was really good too, it tasted like the one from Cracker Barrel. Let me know if you need any of the recipes.

[cangoss]

For an unadventurous crowd, I'd consult the "best mac & cheese" thread. The Martha Stewart recipe posted there makes a large quantity and is pretty impressive.

[Alleycat]

For an unadventurous crowd, I'd consult the "best mac & cheese" thread. The Martha Stewart recipe posted there makes a large quantity and is pretty impressive.

And it's soooo good!!

Here are two other ideas. The corn recipe is from a long-lost acquaintance of my mom's; the friend referred to it as Kansas City Corn, but I couldn't find an original source for it. The second comes from Southern Living; I served it as a side with grillled rosemary pork.

Another great CL side is the Squash-Rice Casserole.


Creamy Baked Corn
Serves 6-8 (doubles easily)

3 16-oz cans corn, drained
3 green onions, sliced
1 small green pepper, chopped (I use red bell pepper too)
2 TBSP ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp brown sugar
1 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBSP butter
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place corn in a 1.5 qt. baking dish. Add onions and green pepper. In a bowl, mix dressing through black pepper. Spoon over veggies. Dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes. Arrange thin slices of tomato over top and sprinkle with parm. Bake 10 minutes more.


Green Bean Alfredo with Cheese Ravioli
Source: Southern Living Our Readers All-Time Favorite Recipes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook: 23 min
Serves 6

1 (1-lb) package frozen cheese-filled ravioli
3 TBSP butter
1 lb. fresh green beans
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1-1/2 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (1 oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Cook pasta according to package directions; keep warm.
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add green beans, garlic and rosemary, and saute 6 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Remove mixture and set aside.

Add whipping cream to skillet, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, 10 minutes.

Return green bean mixture to skillet; add wine and pepper, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in 2 TBSP cheese. Serve over ravioli, and sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 TBSP cheese. Garnish if desired.

[Robyn1007]

I was thinking a potato gratin as well. I posted a bleu cheese mushroom version here a couple years ago that a lot of people have enjoyed. It looks just like cheese and potatoes so you might be able to sneak it by but you may be safer with a more "normal" version.