The next time you’re holding a summer gathering whether it be for a family reunion, birthday party, or just relaxing with friends, cook up one or all of these dishes. Award-winning cookbook author Cheryl Alters Jamison gives us a look at how these recipes came to life at her own lunch with friends. Plus, she gives us some potluck pro-tips to make sure your gathering goes off without a hitch.
Our TABLE editors delighted me with the idea of hosting a late summer lunch with a group of friends, all contributing a favorite dish. I invited a mix of folks from different backgrounds that I thought would hit it off. Everyone knew someone, but I was the only one who knew everybody. Then I turned them loose to dream up dishes using seasonal ingredients. We gathered in the courtyard of my home in Tesuque, where I reside in a renovated century-old adobe dairy barn. We ended up with a stellar assortment of preparations featuring corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green chile, juicy peaches, and much more — a true celebration of summer’s bounty. The guests blended as effortlessly as the dishes.
Potluck Recipes for Summer
Cheryl’s Salpicón
Near the corner of Texas, Old Mexico, and New Mexico, Salpicón refers to this hearty beef brisket salad, with a bright hodgepodge of ingredients. Typically, the brisket is braised to deliciousness with chipotle chiles and other seasonings. The smokiness of the chipotles led me, instead, to use smoked or barbecued brisket in the dish. Pick some up from a local barbecue joint and you can toss everything together in no time.
Enrique Guerrero’s Green Chile Hushpuppies
Enrique’s frying skills were on display during a potluck, when he served an endless parade of crispy hushpuppies, laced with corn cut from the cob and fresh New Mexico green chile.
In 1983, Enrique Guerrero was painting houses in San Francisco when the painting company he was working for abruptly shut down. Walking home from his last gig, Enrique saw a “Now Hiring” sign outside a restaurant. He veered in and was hired immediately as a dishwasher. By sheer luck, he had wandered into what became a seminal restaurant of its day, Masa, founded by revered Chef Masataka Kobayashi and headed by another legend, Julian Serrano. Chef Serrano soon saw his new dishwasher’s potential and promoted him.
Cheryl’s Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs became my signature potluck and picnic appetizer from the moment I began raising chickens some dozen years ago. But I had to solve one problem. Hard-boiled eggs made from “old” eggs peel much more easily than from just-laid eggs. What’s the point of having gorgeous eggs, straight from the hens, if one has to wait until they’re no longer truly fresh to use them? I set about researching what other chicken-owner cooks were recommending and discovered the technique of steaming eggs. I’ve made perfect eggs for deviling ever since. I top the eggs with bits and bobs of whatever I have in the fridge or herb garden, perhaps fresh parsley, dill, lovage, or chives, or a touch of salmon caviar, capers, or slices of fresh bell pepper, or green or red chiles, for an added touch of brightness.
Samantha Renee Ruble’s Bean Salad
This recipe is endlessly adaptable. Sam uses the classic trick of adding a Parmesan rind for the deep, savory notes it transfers to the beans. Don’t skip it. The beans are excellent made a day ahead, which gives time to cool them to serve chilled.
Founder and editor of GoFrenchYourself, Sam describes herself as a hospitality storyteller and brand architect. She uses her writing and photographic skills to tell social media stories for restaurant clients such as Coyote Café and Cantina, Santacafé, the cocktail bar Tonic, and a stable of other clients whose products intrigue her, from real estate to skin care lines. She grew up in Tulsa, the daughter of a single mother who worked in hospitality, so she was raised in a restaurant.
Nikki Botwin’s Crushed Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Nikki Botwin grew up obsessed with food, in a family of home cooks, influenced by both her parents and grandparents. Her mother’s side is blessed with cooks who excelled in the Julia Child school of French classics. Her dad’s family is Italian and prepared pastas and other dishes based on ingredients in their substantial garden. In her formative years she worked at Santa Fe’s Café San Estevan and in San Francisco for Corey Lee, who was already acknowledged with both Michelin and James Beard Foundation recognition.
All of this prepared her for a career as a social media influencer at SantaFeTasteClub and work with Samantha Renee Ruble’s GoFrenchYourself accounts. She and Dr. Jonathan Botwin married last year, and together they continue to travel the world for culinary experiences. They enjoy cooking all kinds of cuisine at home, too, including this fresh summery salad.
Michael Campbell and Paul McKittrick’s Summer Vegetable Torte
My Tesuque neighbors Michael and Paul are longtime partners in life as well as in their Docufilms business. They turned their attentions to making films for nonprofit organizations about 20 years ago, after both retired from advertising careers in New York. They decamped from New York about a decade ago with their little dog, Fergus. Both love cooking. Michael’s earliest memories of food come from his Italian grandmother. Paul learned to cook out of necessity when he got his first New York apartment. His mother gifted him a book called Simple Meals Men Love, which she acquired by saving Betty Crocker cake mix box-top coupons. Husband Michael can attest to the success of the recipes.
Michael and Paul have been making versions of this grilled Summer Vegetable Torte for decades. They gave this one a bit of a New Mexican twist by including some red and green chiles. The guys use a sprinkling of Herb de Poblanos, from the Ranchos de Albuquerque Los Poblanos Farm Store, too.
Jayne Weiske’s Asian Crunch Salad
To make Jayne’s extra-tasty version of a popular midwestern salad, both the salad ingredients and the dressing can be assembled a few hours ahead. Toss together shortly before serving.
A born and bred midwesterner, Jayne Weiske still follows the Chicago Cubs and Green Bay Packers. She grew up in Ripon, Wisconsin, a small town with an outsized reputation in world of college basketball. Her father was head coach of the men’s Ripon Red Hawks, so he and Jayne’s mother regularly hosted all kinds of gatherings of athletes, professors, city leaders, and major sports figures passing through.
Jayne gained her love of cooking and entertaining from watching her mother effortlessly — or so it seemed — craft creative meals night after night for these celebratory evenings. She picked up her mom’s love of cooking, and often these days makes dishes with an Asian inspiration. Jayne’s retired from marketing and is the kitchen master of the local chapter of the International Wine & Food Society.
Anna Farrier’s Butterscotch Budino
Anna’s best known around town as the longtime director of Cooking with Kids, a beloved nonprofit bringing nutritious and exciting foods to many schools in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico. She retired just before our potluck and, within months, she and husband Paul were gifted with two grandchildren to enjoy. Anna’s mother was Italian so, as with several other of my guests, great food was in her DNA.
Anna says, “I grew up knowing the pleasures of real food— cooking it and enjoying it with my family. Every single gathering included special foods, all homemade, and all delicious. My mom was a very good baker, and we all loved sweets, so when I’m planning a meal, I often start by thinking of what dessert to serve.”
Potluck Party Tips
- As host, provide the most substantial dish. In most cases, the host should supply the tableware and napkins, and have containers for folks to take home leftovers.
- If you’re a guest, pick a dish that travels well and can be held at room temperature. If your dish needs time in the fridge or oven, communicate that to the host well ahead, so that space can be assured without fuss. Bring your own serving utensils, too. It’s usually best to dress a salad or add tender herb garnishes at the last minute, so be prepared to take care of those without help from the host.
- Feel free to mix up tableware. I started with Fiestaware and added Italian ceramics and Guatemalan fabrics. Wine and citrus-scented sparkling water were served in glasses collected from years of attending the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta. But if you want to use red Solo cups, go ahead. We won’t judge. Our editor Julia has beautiful bronze flatware that blended perfectly. I have a large collection of inexpensive bright fabric napkins to use for just such events.
- Give people leeway about what dish they choose but provide a little guidance along the way. Assigning categories, such as an appetizer or dessert, can be helpful. You really don’t want 10 caprese salads or green chile enchilada casseroles. Trust me. If there are dietary restrictions, let people know that ahead.
- Assign wine or beer to those who aren’t as skilled in the kitchen, or who might be short on time, or who are especially knowledgeable about one or the other. A batched cocktail or mocktail can also be a nice addition to assign to someone.
Story by Cheryl Alters Jamison
Photography by Tira Howard
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