food that's good to take to a picnic/potluck

lower effort

Mashed potatoes w/ a basic pan sauce
- This tastes amazing because: pan sauce!
- To prevent the sauce from breaking, either 1) don't stir in the butter until shortly before the meal is served, or 2) stabilize it with an emulsifier like Modernist Pantry's 210S or xanthan gum.
Strawberry shortcake
- It's especially low-effort if you make the macerated strawberries yourself, and buy the shortcake and whipped cream at the store.
- The macerated strawberries need 30-60 minutes to "develop", and the time it takes to travel to the party allows for this to happen.