Stop Entertaining with 100 Dishes and Make Stew Instead

I once believed that cooking for friends meant having to make an appetizer, a salad, a main course, maybe a side or two, and a dessert. But after one too many dinner parties concluded with a sink full of dishes and me face-planting into a pillow, I simplified my menu: a single centerpiece dish plus a few complementary components to add heat, creaminess, crunch, and acidity. When fall rolls around, that centerpiece is a huge pot of flavorful stew (that can be made up to three days ahead) surrounded by fixings that guests can pick and choose to build their own bowls. Here we kept our stews straightforward, calling for water instead of stock and, in most cases, using meat on the bone to lend body and flavor. It’s a low-stress, crowd-pleasing approach to entertaining, and you don’t have to make anything else—well, except dessert. That’s still required in my book.