Categories: Food & Wine

How to Make a Homemade Deli Platter

It is not hard to make a homemade deli platter for the next big event at your house. While you could order one from your local grocery store or other fresh food market, it will cost you less to assemble the platter yourself.

The money spent on paying someone else to arrange the cheese and meat for you can buy you more of what you everyone will be looking for at the party: more meat.

Homemade Deli Platter Supplies

You will need one medium-sized tray and one large tray or platter. If you don’t have any, you can purchase inexpensive trays from the local grocery store, or discount retailer. You could even buy one from the deli at the grocery store.

Other items you will need:
toothpicks
black olives
green olives
cherry tomatoes

Meat for Homemade Deli Platter

Typically the recommended serving size of meat per person on a deli platter is 1/4 pound to 1/3 pound. If the deli platter is the first “real food” item to hit the table, and people are hungry, they could easily consume about 1/2 pound each.

Make sure you buy enough of the meats that people want. Roast beef, ham, and pepperoni are the first items to disappear of off a deli platter. Next is the salami and turkey. Bologna is not a great meat choice for a homemade deli platter, unless your guests are all children.

Also be sure to buy three different types of cheese, including American, Swiss, and a Provolone or Cheddar cheese.

Assembling the Homemade Deli Platter

Assemble the cheese all on one platter or plate. One option is to start in the middle, and alternate each type of cheese in a spiral pattern, moving from the center to the edge of the platter.

Another option is to start in the center, lay down one piece of cheese, and make a row of that type of cheese, from the center to the end.

For the meat tray, you can put all of the meat on one tray, or make a separate tray for Italian sandwich meats, including ham, pepperoni and salami. The best way to present deli meat on a tray, and to make it easier for your guests, is to take the time to roll each piece of meat.

Using a clean cutting board, and clean hands, take the end of a piece of meat and roll it until there is no more to roll. Do this will all of the meat, making small piles of meat on the tray. You can alternate the meats for a nice looking presentation. For example, start with a row of roast beef, going from the center of the tray to the edge. Next, make a row of turkey, etc.

Garnishes and Accessories for the Homemade Deli Platter

The toothpicks will come in handy for the guests to serve themselves the meat, without touching the meat, and keeping the tray neat. By rolling the meat and using toothpicks, portions will be controlled better, making the platter stretch further.

Garnish the platters with olives and cherry tomatoes.

Tip: You do not have to serve all of the deli platter meat items at once. For the best food safety practice, and to keep guests fed, refill the deli platter several times with the popular meats as they dwindle down.