Party Salads ? Why Not?

 Party and salad may not go together. One tends to pair a festive gathering with more appropriate foods, such as charcuterie or roasts. Yet a salad , done right can make a gathering interesting and delicious. It's not just a bowl of greens mixed together with bottled dressing. It's something more.

Chef and regular contributor Hetty Liu McKinnon wrote about this and gave recipes from her newest book Linger: Salads, Sweets And Stories To Savor (Knopf 2025) in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. She recommends thinking outside the bowl. Try smoky roasted veggies or pantry friendly legumes. Add comforting noodles along with homemade chunky dips and great homemade salad dressings. One way of having a phenomenal salad is choosing make ahead dishes that only get better over time. Her example for this is a take on the classic British Coronationsalad. Usually made with chicken and left to marinate , Chef Liu McKinnon subs in chickpeas. A day in the fridge makes the flavors bolder along with bolder and more exciting. Along with chickpeas, cauliflower adds more crunch especially when the two are roasted with a sprinkling of cumin on top. The dressing is a mix of Greek yogurt, apricots (as in the original recipe(, celery and red onion that';s been steeped in water to mellow out the onion-y flavor.

Chef Liu McKinnon also includes a great dip and a salad version of the classic Dan Dan dish. For the dip she takes sliced turnips and fries them in a combo of oil butter ,garlic and miso. The dip is a combination of feta and pistachios blended together with  garlic, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and a splash of water. Put this and salad leaves on a  large plate, then top with the turnips. Other veggies can also be used as well as crips pita or French bread. The second is a riff on the classic Dana Dan  dish, There is no meat in this one however. Ramen noodles combine with bock choi and canned corn. Toasted sesame seeds and cilantro give it more color and flavor. The dressing is a blend of pantry essentials. Chinese sesame paste or tahini is mixed with Chile oi or Chile crisp along with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.Two to three tablespoons of non dairy milk like almond, oat or soy is used for creaminess . For all of these everything can be made the day before and assembled the day of , considerably cutting prep time. Just let the salads sit for thirty minutes before serving.

Salads can be the stars of  any party. Make all three or save them for different gatherings. They're sure to be hits.