What do you think of these dinner party menu?

[princessamidala]

Starter : Jamie Olivers Sexiest Salad, with fig & parma hamwww.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/the-easiest-sexiest-salad-in-the-world

Main: Nigella's shredded lamb www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/the-easiest-sexiest-salad-in-the-world
??? served with potato dauphinoise & green beans

Nigella's chocolate cloud cake

Any good?? Should i change anything??

Lovely. I am not a fan of chocolate but the first two courses sound delicious.

Gorgeous - don't change anything. What time do you want me over? Shall I bring wine?

Yummy! I would be so happy to turn up to a dinner party with that menu! Have a great time

This is the lamb dish www.nigella.com/recipes/view/warm-shredded-lamb-salad-with-mint-and-pomegranate-178
DO you think it will work with potato. I'm not sure...

I would go for baby new potatoes, sprinkled with a bit of freshly chopped mint, rather than the dauphinoises, which seem a bit too heavy.
My mouth is watering now, it sounds so delicious!

It all sounds fab, the only thing I would change would be the pudding.
You can have chocolate at any time of the year but I think something with summer fruits would be lovely just now, perhaps peaches in sweet white wine or an apricot tart or a simple fruit fool with home made biscuits.

I make the lamb with pomegranate and mint....I think it's best served as part of a selection of salads rather than with dauphinoise. It's really good and so easy. I'd stick with a vague Middle Eastern theme with it.
Problem is it's then a salad for starter and a salad for main which is a bit too much salad.
I would drop the starter because I find them too unsettling. I'd prefer to dish up and settle down for a long chat with my guests at home. Starters are fine in a restaurant where someone else is serving you.
Pudding is fine as long as it's light but during the summer I'd be inclined to serve something fruit based or a homemade ice cream as chocolate can feel out of place in hot weather.

What about serving it with cous cous?

Yes yes to couscous.

Could you do cold mezze starters as nibbles that lead into the main course and can be left as sides?

I had a delicious carrot mezze in Turkey recently that was v easy to make and would go with your meal. Grate four medium carrots, fry in garlic and olive oil until softened (approx 10 m) then cook on low heat turning once for 20 min, remove and let cool in fridge and stir in a touch of natural yog. Absolutely divine.

Mezze board also include: grilled courgette, roasted aubergine, tziki, humous, olives and flat bread.

Couscous would work but it would need some help. The lamb dish has no sauce so the couscous would need dressing. Beluzu barley couscous is so good it just needs a light veg stock, some extra virgin olive oil and maybe some chopped herbs like coriander or parsley.

So maybe a Harissa flavoured cous cous dish.
Going to add Eton mess as a dessert as I can go locally & pick the fruit.

If the weather is rubbish as it is today, do you think the dauphinois would be ok instead of the cous cous. My husband requested this as it's his favourite dish!!

Then duphonise it is! They are spectacularly delicious and indulgent.