We made it y’all. Daylight saving time is finally here. Soon enough we’ll see the little bright green buds peppering the trees in the northeast, I can see the light at the end of the winter tunnel!
I hosted some friends over last night for another snacky party, and it was a hit. As a refresher, I’m not the biggest fan of cooking dinner for a crowd. It often means a pile of dishes to clean, too many chairs crammed around the table, and worst of all, being stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is laughing and chatting without me. The snacky party is a no-fuss, equally as tasty alternative, where a variety of apps are served for guests to mingle and graze at their own leisure. I’ve been hosting these parties since my early days in NYC (I even wrote an entire book about how to host a “cheese party”) and they’ve always been very enjoyable.
Taters + Tinis
This month’s theme is featuring two of my favorite things, potatoes and martinis. The potato is one of the world’s most versatile vegetables, lending itself to a variety of shapes, textures and flavors. Sidenote, if you need a good conversation starter, ask someone their top three favorite potato styles. Martinis, especially a dirty martini, offers salty and briny notes that pair wonderfully with many potato dishes.
THE MENU
The “snacky party” is my way to expand beyond cheese, because we need a range of flavors to serve. Don’t get me wrong, I love an elaborate charcuterie board and a savory cheesy dip, but the table needs some balance with fresh, bright and savory notes as well. I always like to categorize my dishes by “bites, bowls and boards.” It’s a helpful way to make sure you have a variety on the table. To keep things easier, I am linking the full recipes out to another page so I don’t clog your inbox!
THE BITES
These are such an easy recipe to make and even easier to serve! The olives tie into the martini theme while the chicken adds some savory depth to the menu.
Tot-Tinis
I crisped up some tater tots in the oven and served them in plastic martini glasses! No recipe needed :)
THE BOWLS
I had to make a dirty martini dip for the occasion, and this one features a little sweet heat from peppadew peppers.
I also served a spinach artichoke dip that was *gasp* pre-made from my local grocery store. Don’t be afraid to supplement with items made ahead of time, you aren’t cheating and it makes your life easier.
This potato salad is from the same cheese party book mentioned above. It’s on the light and zesty side, with dijon and red wine vinegar instead of mayo.
Burrata with Fennel and Citrus
I also wanted to highlight some March produce, so I served a fennel and citrus salad of sorts topped with a creamy burrata.
THE BOARDS
Potato Chip Platter
It’s a potato party, so we need potato chips! I arranged salt, truffle and lattice-cut chips on a two-tiered platter and topped with olives, cornichons and some herbs for decor.
Martini Garnish Plate
I set up my bar with all of the supplies to make a martini, but my favorite part were the martini garnishes. This platter features feta-stuffed olives, gorgonzola-stuffed olives, spanish queen olives, cocktail onions, cornichons, hard salami and peppadew peppers.
THE TABLESCAPE
I always like to determine my menu before thinking about the tablescape, and for this party I pulled colors from the natural shades of olives and potatoes. We’re going with a green, red, purple and yellow vibe. The star of the show was my tater tini tower, which I made using plastic martini glasses, baby potatoes, dill and parsley. I also made tulip tinis, set out taper candles, tea lights and a green table runner. For a finishing touch I added some more baby potatoes on the actual table. The food itself is so colorful and vibrant that you don’t have to go too overboard with patterns for the tablescape!
That’s all for now, comment below with the next theme you’d like to see! You can also try out my Manchego March theme, with the moodboard and menu here.
xoxo
Marissa
I feel like you can really learn a lot about a person with the “top 3 potatoes” icebreaker 😂 I think mine are 1. my mom’s potato soup, 2. tots, 3. mashed with gravy but it’s soooooo difficult to choose!
Everything looked fabulous! Thank you for sharing your conversation starter idea. That's a good one! Challenging to answer, too! My favorite styles? 1. My mom's deep fried mashed potato balls 2. Mashed potatoes with turkey and gravy 3. English jacket potatoes with plenty of butter