Shine at the potluck table

Years ago, when I was in college in upstate New York and couldn’t return home to Texas for the holidays, I attended a Thanksgiving potluck at a schoolmate’s house. Thanks in great part to my lack of planning, I single-handedly ruined the meal.

At the time, those seated around the table were too kind to point fingers. But I’d been asked to bring the potatoes, and my naive contribution -- mashed potatoes in a household of sweet potato devotees -- left a palpable sadness in the air.

I sometimes imagine that family gathered in subsequent years, whispering to one another as they passed that year’s bounty back and forth. “Remember that terrible Thanksgiving when we didn’t have sweet potatoes at all?” They should never have trusted a newcomer with such a crucial mission.

In hindsight, I should’ve discussed my dish with the host beforehand. Had I done so, I would’ve brought both types of potatoes -- there’s no Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes where I come from.

Now I know to do my research. Being a gracious and memorable Thanksgiving potluck guest requires just two things: Bring a showstopper of a dish and stay out from under the host’s feet.

When picking a dish to bring, imagine foods that fill a niche or have an air of surprise. Another stuffing is always well-received, for instance, so a warm barley and kale salad with roasted pears and candied prosciutto might be a welcome alternative to another bread-based filling.

A side dish hearty enough to double as a vegetarian entree hits the mark, too -- think sweet potato cakes topped with a creamy, sage-scented mushroom ragout. That is, unless you’re asked to bring a specific dish, in which case you’ll do best to respect the host’s wishes.

Low-maintenance dishes served at room temperature, like a savory pissaladiere with radicchio and spiced ricotta, or food you can reheat in its serving vessel in the microwave are perfect potluck choices.

If, on the other hand, your dish requires refrigerator or oven space at your host’s home, or even more so a burner on the stove or countertop space, arrange those details ahead of time. Chances are your host is preparing the regal bird and will have his or her hands -- and oven -- occupied when you arrive.

Equally important at a Thanksgiving potluck -- as important a potluck as ever there was -- are logistics, so keep in mind the distance you’ll be traveling. Choose a dish that’s not particularly fragile and that doesn’t have too many moving parts. To that end, preparing a dessert like, say, delicate meringues with three garnishes would be risky.

This year, I’m celebrating two Thanksgiving dinners with family, both of them potlucks. I’m still mulling over my options. One thing’s for sure, though. I’ll not be bringing the potatoes.

--

food@latimes.com

--

BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX

Warm barley and kale salad with roasted pears and candied prosciutto

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: When looking for Tuscan kale, keep in mind that it goes by many names -- lacinato, dinosaur kale and black cabbage among them. Substitute regular kale if desired. The salad can be prepared up through step 4 one day in advance, with the components stored individually (wrap and refrigerate the barley and kale mixture separately; store the prosciutto in a sealable plastic bag at room temperature). Reheat the barley and kale before proceeding with the recipe.

3 ripe but firm red Bartlett pears (about 1 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into 3/4 -inch cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon chopped thyme, divided

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups pearl barley

1 onion, thinly sliced

2/3 cup dry white wine

3/4 pound Tuscan kale, stemmed and roughly chopped, about 8 cups

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup coarsely chopped, toasted and peeled hazelnuts (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, gently toss the pears, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, one-fourth teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Spread out the pears in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until golden brown and fragrant, about 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

2. On a large, parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange the prosciutto slices, making sure they do not touch. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the slices. Bake the prosciutto until the slices are caramelized and glossy, 8 to 10 minutes. Rotate the tray while baking for even coloring, and watch toward the end of baking that the sugar does not burn (it burns quickly). Remove and allow to crisp and cool completely.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the barley and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes; drain well.

4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, one-fourth teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the wine, then return the pan to medium-high heat. Cook until most of the wine is absorbed, about 2 minutes, stirring often and removing any bits of flavoring from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the kale and season with one-half teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook for 2 minutes until the kale is just wilted and a vibrant green. Stir again, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the kale is tender, an additional 5 minutes. (Recipe can be prepared to this point up to 24 hours in advance; store the barley and kale mixture separately, tightly wrapped and refrigerated; store the prosciutto in a sealable plastic bag at room temperature.)

5. In a large bowl, combine the barley with the lemon juice, butter and remaining thyme. Stir in the kale. Gently stir in the pears and hazelnuts if using and check seasoning. Spoon salad onto a serving platter; crumble the candied prosciutto over the top before serving.

Each of 10 servings: 290 calories; 8 grams protein; 46 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 16 mg. cholesterol; 345 mg. sodium.

----

Creamy mushroom ragout over sweet potato cakes

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Servings: 8 to 12

Note: This dish makes a satisfying main course for the vegetarians at your holiday table. For a quicker version, omit the sweet potato cakes altogether and simply spoon the mushroom ragout over roasted and mashed sweet potatoes. This recipe can be prepared up to one day in advance.

3 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), pricked all over with a fork

1 1/3 cups panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons butter

4 shallots, finely chopped

1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms (such as chanterelle, shiitake, oyster and cremini), stemmed and halved or quartered

2 tablespoons chopped sage, divided

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until soft, about 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the peels and mash the potato flesh in a large bowl until just chunky. Stir in the bread crumbs, walnuts, sugar, mace, egg, three-fourths teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper until thoroughly combined.

2. Place the flour in a wide, shallow dish. Using floured hands, form sweet potato mixture into 12 3-inch patties. (Each patty will use a scant one-third cup of the sweet potato mixture. Make smaller patties, if you like.) Coat each in flour, shaking off any excess, and transfer to a baking sheet. Heat one-fourth cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the patties, turning once, until deep golden brown all over, 8 to 9 minutes total. Transfer the fried patties to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Add additional oil, as needed, to the pan so the patties do not stick as they fry. Set aside when done.

3. Clean out and return the skillet to stove. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat then add the shallots with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of the sage and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have softened to tenderness and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and simmer, stirring often, until just thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in vinegar and season additionally to taste. (Recipe can be prepared to this point up to 24 hours in advance and kept, covered tightly, in the refrigerator.)

4. Bring the sweet potato cakes to room temperature and heat the ragout. Serve the sweet potato cakes with the hot mushroom ragout spooned over the top. Garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon sage and serve.

Each of 12 servings: 298 calories; 5 grams protein; 23 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 22 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 46 mg. cholesterol; 114 mg. sodium.

----

Pissaladiere with spiced ricotta, radicchio and poached apricots

Total time: 2 1/2 hours (includes rising time)

Servings: Makes 24 pieces

Note: Use dried figs instead of apricots, if you like. The pissaladiere can be baked and prepared through step 6 one day in advance (the onions and apricots can be cooked one day in advance of the rest of the recipe) and refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature before adding herbs and serving.

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 ( 1/4 -ounce) package active dry yeast

3 cups flour

Kosher salt

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

2 small onions, thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/3 cups dry white wine, divided

3/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/4 cups (about 10 ounces) ricotta

3/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

1 small head radicchio (about 6 ounces), cored and torn into large pieces

1/2 cup roughly chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme and chives)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Combine 1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees), the sugar and yeast in a small, non-reactive bowl and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir in 3 tablespoons oil and the yeast mixture until a sticky dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Grease a large, clean bowl with 1 teaspoon oil, place the dough inside and cover with a towel. Set aside in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

2. Sprinkle cornmeal over the bottom of a 15-by-10-inch baking sheet. Stretch the dough into a large rectangle and arrange on the baking sheet, pulling and stretching to ensure dough entirely covers bottom of sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; set aside and let rise for 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, one-quarter teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add one-third cup wine and cook, stirring to remove any bits of flavoring from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is absorbed, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In a small pot, combine the apricots, remaining 1 cup wine, vinegar, honey and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the apricots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain, discarding the liquid. Set aside.

5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 5-spice powder and three-fourths teaspoon salt and set aside.

6. Scatter the onions over the risen dough and bake until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Spoon the ricotta onto the dough and spread out roughly with the back of a spoon. In a large bowl, toss together the radicchio, apricots, remaining 2 teaspoons oil, one-half teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper, or to taste, then arrange on top of ricotta. Bake until dough is cooked through and radicchio is wilted and crispy in parts, about 10 minutes more. Remove pan, cool on a rack. (Recipe can be prepared to this point up to 1 day in advance and kept tightly covered in refrigerator.)

7. Bring to room temperature. Just before serving, toss the herbs with the lemon juice, one-eighth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste, and scatter the herbs over the top. Cut into squares and serve.

Each of 24 servings: 143 calories; 4 grams protein; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 7 mg. cholesterol; 178 mg. sodium.