Guess what’s coming to dinner

WHEN Mario Batali recently blogged about blowing off a family potluck dinner, only a couple of eyebrows were raised in cyberspace. Apparently potlucks have such a dreary reputation that only the most cynical observer could fault him for holding off on eating until he reached a restaurant.

But while he is usually a trendsetter, for once he was behind the times. In reality, potlucks aren’t about casseroles and coleslaw anymore. Lately you’re as likely to encounter charred calamari with avocados, or a farmers market extravaganza of heirloom produce. This is the golden age of food, and for anyone who loves to cook, a potluck is an opportunity, not an obligation -- a chance to bring out your best with minimal effort. Whether the guest list is six or 16, after all, the party starts with a single dish.

And whether you’re giving or attending a potluck, the best course to claim is the big enchilada. The main dish should be the most dramatic, but it can also be the easiest. And once you choose it, everyone else works around it.

The division of labor (and expense) makes potlucks irresistible this time of year, when everyone seems to be in a fall’s-back frenzy with school and sports and the arts and of course the new season on television. Wait around for the perfect time to entertain from soup course to dessert and you could find yourself looking at Thanksgiving. Share the pleasure and you’ll be partying this weekend.

To cook for a potluck, you have to be both competitive and collaborative. You want your contribution to stand out -- the ride home is happiest with a totally empty dish -- but you also have to be sure it works with whatever else turns up on the table. And that’s what makes it fun.

Cook an entire dinner for guests and you can lose interest in the food after all that time alone in the kitchen with it. Cook just one dish to add to many and the novelty factor will make a whole new meal of it. A potluck should be all high points.

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Impressive but easy

Two of my greatest hits fit another criterion for perfect potluck-ing: Not only do they taste great and look impressive with minimal work, but they also are conversation pieces. One is built on an ingredient that looks daunting but is absolutely approachable, and the other is a Mexican classic not often seen outside of El Paso, Texas, where I discovered it years ago at a restaurant called Casa Jurado.

Collard squares are like a very dense quiche with no cream and no troublesome crust. You just cook the well-washed greens with salt and garlic until they are soft, chop them up and mix them with eggs, shiitakes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Cut small, they are perfect hors d’oeuvres, but in big squares they are an excellent vegetarian entree.

People love collards. They just don’t know it until they taste this. Cooks would love them, too, but they are perceived as troublesome when all they need is careful cleaning and long, slow cooking. You could substitute Swiss chard or even spinach, but you lose the buzz factor.

Salpicón, the Mexican salad made of shredded braised beef tossed with chiles and finely diced cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado and cheese, is usually served as a filling for warm corn tortillas. But it makes a very impressive main dish, mounded into a bowl lined with lettuce leaves, with a lime and chile dressing for heat and tanginess. Because it is best made in a large quantity, it is not something you might serve at home. It’s made for a party. (More traditional recipes call for pot roast, but brisket has richer flavor and is easier to shred.)

A new favorite comes courtesy of a friend who brought it to my potluck table: chicken braised with orzo, lemons and black olives. The combination is sensational and the technique so simple. Best of all you, get side dish and protein all in one dish. Her version is enough for four, but the proportions can be scaled up to serve up to 24.

I assumed this was an heirloom recipe, but my friend said she found it online, in that weird world where recipes duplicate themselves into infinity. Substituting fresh oregano for dried and homemade turkey stock for canned chicken broth turned it into something more sophisticated, though.

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One-handed meals

Another friend has made her reputation on the bread line: She makes amazing sandwiches in baguettes that are heated in the oven or on the grill, then cut into slabs to create a one-handed meal.

Sometimes she stuffs the baguette with roasted or grilled portobellos and mozzarella on a schmear of pesto; other times she uses just tomatoes and mozzarella. Or she makes cold sandwiches on focaccia, such as BLTs with mesclun filling in as the L word or deviled-egg salad (spiced with Dijon mustard and scallions) with smoked salmon diced in for a festive accent.

Another dazzling potluck main course is cooking teacher Karen Lee’s gingered side of salmon. The recipe’s in Susan Wyler’s “Cooking for a Crowd,” but it’s easy to improvise. Marinate a 4-pound slab of the fish on the skin side with a runny paste made with a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds, half a cup of sherry, a little more than two tablespoons each soy sauce and sesame oil, two tablespoons of minced ginger, one of minced garlic and a little over half a cup of chopped scallions for an hour at room temperature. Broil it for 10 to 12 minutes. Garnished with lemon slices and scallion “brushes,” it’s a stunning presentation with excellent flavor even served cold. (If you need a main course for 16 to 20, you can use two sides of a whole salmon.)

Imagine even the best chef in America walking away from that.

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food@latimes.com

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Collard squares

Total time: About 1 1/2 hours

Servings: 12

2 large bunches collard greens

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons butter plus extra for the baking dish

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound shiitakes, stems removed, caps finely diced

1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce

8 large eggs

8 ounces Comté or Gruyère cheese, grated

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1. Remove the tough stems from the greens and wash the leaves well in several changes of cold water. Place them in a large pot and add the hot pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt. Add water to cover by several inches and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the greens are very tender, about 1 hour. Drain well and cool slightly, then squeeze dry and finely chop.

2. While the collards are cooking, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle lightly with one-fourth teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the shiitakes and the tamari and sauté until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

4. Combine the collards and shiitakes in a bowl. Add the eggs, cheese and bread crumbs and mix well. Spread into the prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes. Cut into squares to serve hot or at room temperature.

Each serving: 188 calories; 12 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 12 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 167 mg. cholesterol; 478 mg. sodium.

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Chicken and orzo with lemon and olives

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: This recipe can easily be doubled and also can be made with chicken thighs. Use a good-quality chicken broth; homemade chicken stock is even better.

8 chicken drumsticks

Salt, pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups orzo

3 cups chicken broth

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 small lemon, cut into 8 wedges

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 large bay leaf

3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, divided

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken legs well on all sides with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

2. In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the legs well on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.

3. Add the orzo, chicken stock, garlic, lemon wedges and juice, olives, bay leaf and 1 tablespoon of the oregano. Stir to combine all the ingredients, then return the chicken to the pan. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is done (the meat will be firm and its juices will run clear). Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, sprinkle with the remaining oregano and serve.

Each of 8 servings: 317 calories; 21 grams protein; 32 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 48 mg. cholesterol; 622 mg. sodium.

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Salpicón

Total time: About 4 hours

Servings: 8 to 10

3 pounds beef brisket

Salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 cups beef broth

Juice of 3 limes, divided

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced

1/3 cup corn oil

3 jalapeos, seeded and minced

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

4 ounces Colby Longhorn cheese, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

1 large bunch green onions, green part only, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 large ripe tomato, seeded and finely diced

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

1 head leaf lettuce such as Boston or red leaf, washed

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the brisket all over with salt to taste, cumin and oregano.

2. Lay the onion into a baking dish large enough to hold the meat. Add the peppercorns and bay leaf. Lay the brisket on top. Pour the beef broth around it. Cover the pan and bake until the meat is very tender and shreds easily, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from the pan to a cutting board and let stand until the meat is cool enough to handle.

3. Combine the juice from 2 1/2 limes with the chipotles and corn oil in a bowl and whisk to blend.

4. Cut the brisket crosswise into strips 1 inch wide. Remove the extra fat. Using two forks, or your fingers, separate the meat into thin shreds. Place in a large bowl and pour the lime mixture over the meat. Toss to coat. Add the jalapenos, cucumber, cheese, green onions, cilantro and tomato. Toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Refrigerate if not serving the salpicón immediately.

5. Just before serving, gently mix in the diced avocados. Season to taste, and add additional lime juice if desired. Serve in a large bowl lined with lettuce leaves.

Each of 10 servings: 409 calories; 36 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 26 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 80 mg. cholesterol; 191 mg. sodium.