3 Easy Dishes, One Near-Effortless Summer Dinner Party

A few thoughts about summer cooking: It should be bold, flavorful, refreshing. It should take full advantage of the season’s fresh produce. And, if possible, it should be consumed outdoors.

It should also be casual, easy to pull off without much exertion. Much depends on your constitution and strength, of course, so perhaps summer cooking isn’t for everyone.

Yet, while I sympathize with those merely trying to survive the heat, who find cooking a chore they’d prefer to ignore, let’s remember: Cooking in hot climates is something people do daily the world around — a fact of life and certainly much easier in the 21st century than in times past.

One rule of thumb for anxiety-free entertaining is to cook as much the day before as possible. I often find doing a little prep work in the cool early morning means I’m more relaxed when guests arrive in the evening. Keeping the menu simple is key, too: You don’t want to be a harried host.

I’d say these dishes — a hearty, kicky potato salad and something quickly pan-seared (or grilled), followed by something sweet and fruity — do the trick.

Recipe: Turmeric Potato Salad