A Mezze Platter for 8
Several small dishes — a dip, a salad, something warm from the oven — arranged so nothing has to carry the whole meal. This is the mezze platter I put together when nothing needs a centerpiece and small plates are the whole point of having people over.
Equipment
- 14-15-inch serving platter or large board
Ingredients
2-3 dips, such as:
1 hearty salad with texture
Something warm or baked
Crisp raw vegetables
- Sliced seedless cucumbers, carrots, radishes
1-2 briny items
- Feta cheese chunks drizzled with olive oil
- Olives (I like to briefly warm them in a microwave or on top of the stove, with a drizzle of olive oil)
The finishing touches
- Assortment of seeded crackers, warm pita or flatbread
- Olive oil and flaky salt
Instructions
- Start with the dips in the center — spoon them into bowls or spread them straight onto the platter in swoops using the back of a large spoon.
- Arrange the salads in medium bowls around the dips, leaving room to breathe between them. Serve the baked dish in its own dish, set on top of a trivet.
- Fill the gaps with raw vegetables, bread, and small bowls of feta cheese and pickled things
- Finish with a drizzle of olive oil over the dips and a scatter of flaky salt right before serving.
Notes
- For a vegetarian platter, skip the feta shrimp and stick with the ratatouille and dips.
- Most of the dips keep 4–5 days in the fridge on their own, but assemble the platter itself no more than an hour before serving so the raw vegetables stay crisp.
