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Dinner party favorites

Brandon_Byrd_40557

I'm pretty comfortable busting out some fancy plated dishes for 4-6 people. but I'm sort of at a loss for dishes to make for 8+ people that don't need to be plated. My mind immediately goes to casseroles or lasagna or something somewhat sad. There's always the option of busting out a big roast or a turkey or whatever, but I want to avoid turkey (because Thanksgiving's around the corner) and serving beef roast can be a challenge for those who prefer their meat well-done (peace be upon them). So I'm curious.... if you had to make an entree for a "Dinner for Eight," what would you choose to make?

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Comments

Manfred__101170

Porchetta…, its rather easy to make by timing and serves everyone’s taste. Plus, it always looks great to get the whole Porchetta on the table and cut it there, tunes nicly in for Thangsgiving.

Any vegetables can go with it.

Francois_346702

Hi Brandon,

Boeuf bourguignon, osso bucco, garbure (heavier), Gigot d'agneau (meat well done outside, medium rare inside), or agneau des sept heures (fall of the bone). Appart from the osso bucco, all the others go nicely with roasted vegetables and bread.

Ratatouille served with bread and a plate of finely sliced prociutto also makes a nice dish and a vegetarian option

You can also do a paté for a starter that, as the porcetta, you put full on the table with a jar or two of pickles. Other starter: a full cured salmon filet with sweet mustard and dill sauce to slice on the table. If you have an oven that is big enough you can also throw in some large full fishes that you bring on a nice plate on the table (and leave the most courageous of your guest to serve ;-)...

Hope this helps!

bkeene12

I've done two ducks in an Asian format for 10 folks. It presents well and taste great. Plus, make some mandarin pancakes and a variety of sauces. People take some duck, some pancakes and some sauce and sort of do their own thing. I've also had good feed back from my big fried chicken dinner spread I do in a buffet format.. cole slaw, potato salad, mac & cheese. (I add some flare to each of the sides). If you're up for a hack, I modified one of Kenji Lopez' recipes- I brine the chicken for a day then I blended buttermilk and spicy kimchi and marinated in this mixture for two days. After it is cooked up, I put it in a big red bowl, drizzled warm honey over it and let people pick what they wanted. Went pretty smooth.

dancurren

Well Brandon, I am so sorry for what ever it is people have done to the Lasagnas that you have experienced to consider them "sad". A great way you could do plated lasagna for a large crowd though - make a killer Bolognese and Ricotta Basil mixture or Bachemel and have a mixture of grated or fresh torn Mozz and Parm all at the ready. Deep Fry individual size pieces of fresh pasta and then assemble individual portions of Lasagna in oven proof plates and just blow torch or out under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese.... It's a whole new level of lasagna and you can do prettier plating.

I also like to do a Porchetta Roast for a crowd.You could even do a suckling pig Porchetta like Grant did for the Game of Thrones feast - sous vide in a garbage bag and then instead of spit roasting over a fire place, if this option is not available to you, laddle hot oil over the skin for perfect crackling.

Or maybe a holiday roast that a lot of people just won't do themselves because they Turopt forkey... Maple a Maple or Honey Glazed Spiral Ham or a Roasted Goose?

FrankM_3301

Just did bo ssam last night....a big hit. How about tacos al pastor? Paella? Risotto? Biryani?

whenric

yo, do the 100 layer lasagna from del Posto. I did that for a crowd last year, and I can definitively say that it was NOT SAD. It took time, but was really no harder than a typical lasagna. Just more layers. And so. freaking. delicious. And such a baller presentation.

whenric

Here's my original post from last year with photos. Doing for big family meal again this year. The nice thing is you can make ahead (even freeze the cut pieces) and fry later

dancurren

Oh that reminds me.... I did an awesome Biryani a few years back but made in with a Persian Potato Tahdig (basically lines with bottom of the bottom with slices of potatoes before cooking and they turn in to crispy slices of heaven).

whenric

Or how about this recipe? Delicious

aaron.c.schroeder

Only online version I can find of this recipe from Batali's Molto Italiano. Tuscan-style lamb shanks, with olives and oranges. Substitutions and flavor enhancers are obvious (homemade stock and tomato sauce, good olives, add a parm rind to the sauce) and can be done well in advance. V. high compliments each time I've made it.

http://www.staceysnacksonline.com/2009/02/lamb-shanks-w-oranges-olives.html

tshewman

If you can get their preferred doneness before the event (??) then doing the roast is possible (serve as steaks on a platter). The other option is short ribs (same idea as above) with more options for spicing things up.

lockgavin

This is what I was going to say. I did an all belly one a few years back (Kenji, of course).. was an absolute hit. The frying the day of was a bit intense.. but some wine helped that.

Kurt_F__787490

I really like momofuku bo ssam. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12197-momofukus-bo-ssam

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Thanks so much for your suggestions everyone! It seems that pork received the highest number of votes, either as porchetta or as a bo ssam. Those are great options, but this is for a dinner party circle and the last round featured two (!!) pork dishes -- a bo ssam appetizer course and pulled pork sandwiches. The problem is that the person bringing the appetizers (the ssam) and the people making the entree (the sandwiches) didn't coordinate, so there was some insane pork overload. Since I'm hosting the next party, I think pork is out. A long braise like osso bucco, short ribs, or bourguignon is a good idea, especially with the colder weather coming. But I think I'm going to take my wife's suggestion of doing grilled chicken souvlaki with assorted grilled vegetables. I can grill these ahead of time and hot hold them in a low oven. But I've taken note of all your suggestions to keep on hand for future events. I may even give that Del Posto lasagna a try, though I'm not sure that would be a good first foray into pasta making. Or would it?

whenric

As far as pasta making goes...it is not hard compared to noodles. No cutting of pasta at all; just sheets! But I DO think that it would be necessary to have a pasta roller (the hand crank kind). The hardest part is the timing of the boiling, and finding places to lay all the pasta sheets (don't let them overlap, or they will stick to one another). I used a bunch of bowls, but would consider layering between saran wrap too.

FrankM_3301

Just build the lasagna as you roll and boil...one or two sheets at a time. No need to have multiple sheets lying around.

whenric

Definitely could, but I think worse. You kinda get into a stacking rhythm as you go. Pasta, bolognese, bechamel, cheese, pasta, bolognese...

I think it would be tough and messy (need dry hands) to keep boiling, shocking, drip drying pasta. Maybe you could do 10 at a time or something.