Take Responsibilitiy for the Essentials

Just because you’re hosting a potluck doesn’t mean you don’t have to be responsible for anything. There are some things that you’ll just seem cheap if you don’t have already there.

• The main course: It might be pizza, or barbecue, or doguritos, but make sure that the bulk of the meal is still coming from you.
• At least one appetizer: You’ll want to make sure there’s something for the early arrivals to eat, especially if they’re bringing sides, deserts or drinks. A couple different nice cheeses is a good option for this. Make sure you have crackers to go with them.
• Plates, napkins, cups and utensils: Make sure you have at least three times as many as you have guests. People hate having to write their name on their cup.
• Chips: Just because you’ve assigned dips to people doesn’t mean you can count on them to bring enough chips. Be prepared.
• Condiments: This is most applicable for barbecue, but it applies no matter what you’re serving. Don’t ask someone to bring the Parmesan cheese or the sour cream. That’s just weak. 
• Your favorite drink: If you have a favorite beer or a special brand of vodka, don’t expect your guests to bring it for you. Let them bring their favorite kind of stuff. If you’re super picky, just make sure you have your own stash on hand.
• Bottled Water: Make sure people stay well hydrated, especially if your guests are drinking. They’ll thank you tomorrow.
• Toilet Paper: An easy one to forget. You’re putting a lot more people into your home than you normally have, Make sure that all the non food consumables (toilet paper, soap, paper towels) are adequately stocked.
• Ice: Buy as much as you think you’ll need, and then get one more bag. I’ve never had leftover ice.

Cover All Your Bases (Are Belong to Us)

Knowing what you need ahead of time is key to planning a good potluck. Guests can smell weakness, and if you sputter and mumble when they ask what to bring, you will reek of weak. Here’s a list of things you will most likely want people to bring to your party:

• Dip: You might want to get a sour cream based dip and a salsa/7-layer dip option
• Veggies: At least give the illusion of healthy
• Sodas: Get a mix of diet and regular. I prefer cans to bottles in a party setting, but let them use their best judgment
• Beer: For all you over 21ers, beer (or premium malt beverages if you’re not a beer fan) help keep the balance between people being pleasantly buzzed and embarrassingly drunk.
• Hard Alcohol: Sometimes embarrassingly drunk is what you’re going for. Make sure everyone has designated drivers!
• Chips: Match the chips to the dips you’ve requested. Potato chips go well with sour cream based dips, but make sure to get thicker chips so they don’t break. I’ve always been a big fan of sour cream and cheddar cheese, but those tend to bleed off into dips. They sell Fritos with extra wide scoops, becoming edible spoons. These are disgusting. Don’t buy them.
• Salad: People may not flock to the salad when you have a tub of onion flavored sour cream set out, but your healthier guests will appreciate the option.
• Side Dishes: Let the main course be your guide for this. Grab deli salads like potato, pasta, and macaroni for barbecues, garlic bread for Italian, etc. etc.
• Desert: Steer people towards individualized deserts like cookies or cupcakes over things that need to be cut and served like pie or cakes. It saves on cleanup and doesn’t stick someone on cake duty.

Know Your Guests and Assign Food Accordingly

This is key. As you make your guest list, start thinking of what you want them to bring. If you assign specific food (or at least food categories) to people, you have a better chance of covering all the major party items. If you just tell people to “bring whatever” then you’ll be stuck with fifteen bags of chips and no dessert. Bad times. Match your friend’s strengths to their assigned dishes for maximum success!

• If any of your friends have a speciality, be sure to tag them for that. People love to show off what they’re good at. Does one of your friends make an award winning potato salad? Ask them to make the potato salad. Not only does it show that you’re paying attention to your friend’s interests, but it means that you get awesome potato salad.
• Use varying degrees of punctuality to your advantage. Do you have some friends who are always the first to show up? Hit them up for drinks and appetizers. Habitually late friends? Set them on desert duty. Have friends who show up REALLY early? Ask them to bring cleaning supplies. Bonus tip: Tell them you don’t know how to use whatever supplies they brought. Ask for a demonstration. Take a nap.
• Don’t expect each person to feed an army. Expect each person to bring enough food to feed between 8-10 people. If you’re inviting more than ten people, start doubling up on necessities.

Raspberry Chipotle Spread

Here’s a great recipie for a quick appetizer that you can toss out without taking too much time away from your other party preparation.

You’ll need a bottle of raspberry chipotle sauce (Go with as thick of a sauce as you can find. Get one with seeds if you can) and a block of cream cheese. Let the cream cheese soften and mix the sauce up into it. It’s sweet and spicy and delicious. Serve it with cut slices of french bread or crackers.

Other Things to Remember

This goes for any party, but here are a few things that make a party awesome but are easy to forget.

• Garbage Bags
• Ice Bucket
• Cooler
• Disposable Table Cloth
• Shot Glasses
  

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