Use the High-Low Approach for Easier Entertaining

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I spent 13 years in retail, starting fitting rooms and doing figure eights across a crowded store in wedges and kitten heels. There’s a ton that goes into retail that a lot of folks don’t know about. Like sometimes you’re doing go backs until 1 AM during the holidays, or that standing in heels is more painful than walking in them.

Major kudos to the retail and customer service folks!

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I worked for Banana Republic in 2016 where I learned the concept of a high-low look in fashion.

Heels (high) with ripped jeans (low).

A leather skirt with a pair of Adidas.

A silk scarf with a plain white tee.

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How is this relevant to food and entertaining?

The high-low look offers many pairing options because of the ability to mix and match. It's applicable to food in the recipes you choose to combine and the way you execute your prep.

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I learned this practice when for a casual get together, I made two dishes, both with maaaany steps to execute. Both recipes were delicious and worth the effort, so I am including them below. One dish was a salad of squash and radicchio that involved roasting then cooling the squash. The second dish was a corn and pepper salad that involved blending a dressing and broiling tomatoes. Between the herb chopping, corn grilling, and changing of the oven settings, I realized I had chosen two fantastic recipes, they were just hard to make at the same time.

As I decompressed after a day of cooking, I learned the important lesson of applying the high-low approach with food – pairing a high dish (like one of these beautifully-detailed salads) with a low dish (like a satisfying can of baked beans). Combining difficult dishes with easy dishes cuts your cook time significantly and still allows for the same number of offerings at the table.

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Some other high-low ideas:

• A raw veggie salad (high because of all the cutting) + a basket of your favorite warm dinner rolls
• The Crunchy Vegetable and Mango Salad + store-bought chips and dip
• A carefully-crafted cheese board + a pre-made appetizer that you can pop in the oven, like Trader Joe’s Crispy Vegetable Pouches

And you can still make the easy dish your own by topping it with chopped herbs or a sprinkle of cheese or having some fun with how you plate it.

Remember the high-low approach when you are hosting and don’t want to make everything from scratch. It will save you effort, and you’ll be able to focus your attention on the main dish you want to highlight, while having another crowd-pleaser on hand that takes little of your time.

I am sharing the two dishes I made that day and I'll mention, they got just as many compliments as my husband’s grilled tri-tip. Both dishes I have made multiple times since, just not on the same afternoon.

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Yellow Pepper and Corn Salad with Turmeric Dressing by Yotam Ottolenghi

This salad is hearty enough to be a main and I have served it as an entrée combined with artisan bread.

Squash and Radicchio Salad with Pecans by Christina Chaey and Claire Saffitz

This side is a stunner with all the beautiful color – the hints on prepping ahead are big time savers when assembling.

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