The Best Way To Organize Your Holiday Potluck

The only thing better than hosting a homemade holiday feast is one where you don't have to do all of the cooking. A potluck pairs the joy of sharing a feast with the relief of not cooking a ton of courses yourself. They're a favorite of Karen Akunowicz, a James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and TV personality. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Meal, she shared her tips to organize a holiday potluck. In short, take charge.

Begin your potluck by selecting a theme for the dishes, Akunowicz advises. A cohesive theme will help conceptually hold everything together. For the season, she suggested "a holiday classics menu." With your theme selected, the next step she recommends is the meat and potatoes of the potluck: Create the menu and assign dishes according to skill level and enthusiasm.

Importantly, Akunowicz says to "be specific — ask for a particular dish or provide guidelines." Don't let them wing it, but don't overcomplicate it for them, either. She also suggests to "provide the beverages yourself to simplify things."

Leadership is a dominant theme of Karen Akunowicz's holiday potluck organization tips. In organizing such a potluck, you're leading your guests through a memorable culinary experience — so lead. Take ownership of your concept and make executive decisions to streamline its execution, from concept to completion.

For instance, when following Akunowicz's advice to assign dishes, consider giving inexperienced home cooks an easier dish, even for a dessert buffet. Grocery stores have delicious pre-made holiday treats for sale, some of which can be improved with almost no additional work. Think adding chopped chocolate to store-bought cookie dough.

Good leadership also entails knowing the limits on what you can expect of your guests. Don't assign a complicated item like beef Wellington, and consider sticking to medium-difficulty asks that can bloom their creativity in a controlled way — like enhancing a classic green bean casserole with any number of expert tips. No matter your guests' level of culinary expertise, remember that the goal of a fun, satisfying holiday potluck is aided by keeping the cooking easy.