Father’s Day – which is just around the corner – is a perfect time to give the “father in your life” a break from all cooking, grilling and cleaning responsibilities – if only on  Sunday, June 17.

A potluck dinner – perhaps dining al fresco – with friends or neighbors allows you to divide the responsibilities and multiply the fun. Visit your favorite farmers’ market or grocery store to get started and whip up a “feast for a king.”

The dedication from cookbook author June Hersh, who wrote “The Kosher Carnivore, The Ultimate Meat and Poultry Cookbook,” St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2011, seems perfectly timely for this Father’s Day theme.

She wrote: “This book is dedicated to my mother, who taught me to always bring love to the table, and my father, who taught me to eat with gusto and cook with abandon. Together you showed me how to savor life’s full flavor.”

Here are some recipes – for salads and meats – to get you started: Let others bring the rest of the meal!

Strawberry, feta and toasted pecan salad

Salad ingredients

1/2 cup pecan halves

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

8 strawberries, sliced

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1 head of iceberg or romaine lettuce, shredded

Dressing ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablesppoons low fat yogurt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and black pepper

Method

In a dry frying pan, stir the pecans in the sugar over medium heat until the nuts are well coated. Let cool.

Toss all the salad ingredients, including the pecans, in a bowl.

Mix together all the dressing ingredients.

Dress the salad just before serving.

Serves 8.

From “the jewish princess feasts and festivals” by Georgie Tarn and Tracey Fine, Sterling, New York, 2009.

Grilled steak salad

Ingredients

2 pounds silver tip “London broil” style

Marinade ingredients

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup orange juice

1 orange separated into segments

1/4 cup peanut, canola or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons hoisin sauce

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad ingredients

1/2 pound field greens

8 ounces uncooked shelled edamame

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2 avocados, peeled and sliced, optional

Meat method

Place the meat in a resealable plastic bag. In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Reserve 3/4 cup of marinade to use as salad dressing.

Pour the rest of the marinade into the bag with the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 and up to 4 hours.

Light the grill and remove the meat from the fridge.

Dry the meat with paper towels. Grill until medium rare, 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Let the meat rest, covered loosely with aluminum foil, before slicing very thinly against the grain.

Salad method

Combine the greens, edamame and tomatoes and toss with the dressing, reserving any extra dressing for another use.

Lay the sliced beef on top of the greens and fan the avocado slices around the plate. Garnish with the orange segments and drizzle with a little dressing.

Serves 4 to 6.

From “the KOSHER CARNIVORE...”

Lemon chile lamb chops

Ingredients

12 lamb chops

salt and pepper to taste

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tablespoon garlic puree

1-and-1/2 fresh hot green chile peppers, minced (use more or less chile, depending on how hot you like it!)

olive oil for frying

Method

Wash the chops and season with salt and pepper.

Mix together all the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil, and pour over the chops. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Grill on medium heat on outdoor grill. Cook to the desired degree of doneness, turning the chops over once during grilling.

Serves 4.

From “the jewish princess...”

Grilled spice-rubbed chicken

Ingredients

2 pounds assorted chicken parts (6 to 8 thighs or 3 to 4 breasts)

olive or vegetable oil

Rub ingredients

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (add more for more heat)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 lime cut into wedges for serving, optional

Method

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Heat the grill and combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

Toss the chicken parts in a little oil, and then sprinkle both sides with about 2 tablespoons of the rub.

Mix another teaspoon of rub with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Use this only to baste the chicken while it is grilling.

Cook the chicken on indirect heat - do not place it in the center of your grill’s hot spot. You want the chicken to cook low and slow.

Total grilling time will be 20 to 30 minutes, turning the chicken over at intervals and basting with the sauce in the last few minutes.

Serve with a squeeze of cooling fresh lime juice.

Serve 4.

FROM “THE KOSHER CARNIVORE...”