Inspiration for dinner party?

[Goosethemoose]

AIBU to ask for your show-stopping (but easy?!) starters and side salads, for Saturday night please?

6 of us in total, SIL will be bringing dessert. Main will be lamb, with roast and boiled new potatoes, tenderstem broccoli... Looking for a salad to accompany, and a nice starter, either sharing type dishes or one each.

Any ideas please? I have pretty much all day to prepare, but I'm not the biggest fan of cooking.

If you like smoked salmon or smoked mackerel then you can make an easy pate mixing it with cream cheese and serve with prawns, smoked salmon, oatcakes or put it all on a platter and let everyone help themselves as a starter

If you like fish a salmon mousse is an easy and tasty no cook idea. Lidl/Aldi do smoked salmon and cooked fresh salmon. Put fish in blender with pepper,salt,lemon juice and creme fraiche or soft cheese. Put in individual or serving bowl garnish with dill and serve with brown bread.

With a hot main course, I wouldn't bother with a salad but would serve additional vegetables (probably sugar snap peas plus either carrots or mashed sweet potatoes).

Pom bears

Asparagus for a starter? It's seasonal and easy.

i also wouldn't fancy a salad with roast lamb tbh, but maybe a cous cous type thing, lots of feta/herbs/lemon juice ...jamie oliver is always faffing with cous cous and it does go well with lamb so that would work

what about a trad-tyoe Prawn Cocktail? You could make or buy the dressing, get nice frozen prawns, lovely bit of leafy salad, do it all fancy martin glass! One big showyoffy giant prawn hanging on the edge of the glass! :o

Starter ideas
Lime and chilli crab salad with avocado
Spiced creamy prawns in a gruyere cheese sauce in little ramekins
Mezze sharing plates with nice meats, pickles, olives etc with flat breads
Chilli garlic giant prawns with crusty bread to mop up the delicious oils
Little pot of mussels in a creamy white wine sauce
Butternut squash with feta and seeds salad

Sides for the Lamb
Roasted Mediterranean vegetables
Salsa verde- absolutely delicious with lamb
Fresh zingy green salad
Green beans with flaked almonds

oooh yes, asparagus...throw the prawns in the bin!

asparagus ad hollandaise!!

Don’t do a salad with lamb and roast potatoes, it doesn’t go! Extra veg however will honey roasted carrots & green beans

Starter something with asparagus, wrapped in Prosciutto with mozzarella is very tasty

I wouldn’t eat salad with a roast dinner.

Starter ideas here
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/dinner-party-starter

Yes bin the salad AND the asparagus - YUK

YY to some sort of cous cous or extra veggies buttered carrots fine beans ... Starter mezze style or as PP said Prawn cocktail YUM or a big ole melted camenbert with breadsticks or flatbread and things to dip....

I wouldn't do a salad with the roast lamb, I'd do a seasonal vegetable, perhaps fresh peas cooked with lettuce would be easy and very summery, or roast asparagus is easy and delicious.

For a starter I'd do a chilled summer soup, Greek egg & lemon would go well with lamb, or gazpacho is easy and fun for a dinner party with the bowls of garnish.

Show stopping starter, (if you have a cake stand), is a seafood tower. Crush ice for the base, then load up with crab or lobster on the bottom, smoked salmon on the middle, head on prawns on the top. Looks fab and very easy - if a bit pricey...

I recommend baked camembert studded with rosemary and garlic, served with sundried tomato bread and green grapes.

Figs stuffed with goats cheese and wrapped in Parma ham and whack them in the oven. Serve on a bed of pea shoots or rocket. Super simple and looks fancy.