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Omit the dill and stir either 2 teaspoons curry powder or 1 teaspoon wasabi powder into the crème fraîche or sour cream.

Substitute Aïoli for the crème fraîche or sour cream.

Omit the caviar and top each filled potato with a small slice of Gravlax or smoked salmon. Or top each with a smoked oyster.

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Prosciutto Nibbles

Prosciutto is unsmoked, air-dried, salt-cured, pressed ham, originally from Parma, but now made in many places in Italy as well as in the United States. If you want to find the real deal, look for “Prosciutto di Parma” or “Prosciutto di San Daniele” stamped on the rind—and expect to pay commensurately. When buying other versions, ask to taste first. The taste should be salty but bright; the meat should be a little chewy. If it tastes metallic or dull, it’s been for sale too long.

Have the butcher cut the ham into paper-thin strips, which he or she will lay between pieces of waxed butcher paper and seal in a plastic bag. Do not unwrap the bag until you’re ready to use the prosciutto; the slices are so thin and dry, they will turn leathery if exposed too long to the air.

Cut the slices into manageable strips, then wrap them around fresh fig halves, prunes soaked in Armagnac, honeydew or cantaloupe chunks, apple wedges that have been rinsed with lemon juice, pineapple spears, steamed asparagus spears, or Brie slices dabbed with fruit chutney.

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Spiced Nuts

A little oil and some dried spices—there’s nothing to making spiced nuts. Makes 2 cups

Start by lightly toasting 2 cups nuts in a preheated 350°F oven on a large baking sheet for 5 minutes. Cool the nuts on the baking sheet, then follow one of these formulas.

Once the nuts are coated in the spices, pour them onto a large baking sheet and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Store in a ziplock plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

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Cheesy Bits

We love cheese as a savory alternative to dessert, but we usually don’t put it out unadorned with other nibbles. Perhaps it’s a little too heavy? Or naked? But no doubt about it: dressed up, crunchy or gooey, cheesy appetizers are always gone in a flash.

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Asiago Shortbread Rounds

These are a crunchy, cheesy version of refrigerator cookies: the dough can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to one month. Slice off as many rounds as you need, bake them as directed, and return the log to the fridge to await another party. Makes about 40 appetizers

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cool unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

8 ounces aged Asiago, finely grated

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons heavy cream

If you’re working with a food processor: Place the butter and cheese in the processor fitted with the chopping blade; pulse until a homogenous if still crumbly mixture forms, about like dry Play-Doh. Add the flour, dry mustard, pepper, and salt; process until crumbly, like a piecrust dough before you add the water. With the machine running, add the cream through the feed tube and process until a dry dough forms—it will not fully cohere at this stage.

If you’re working by hand: Place the butter and cheese in a large bowl and use a pastry cutter or a potato masher to cut the butter into small pieces with the cheese mixed into them. Add the flour, dry mustard, pepper, and salt; continue working the pastry cutter through the ingredients. The mixture will be very stiff, but keep working until it looks like dampened but coarse sand. Stir in the cream with a fork until a dry dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry work surface. Knead until it holds together as a ball. Shape into a fairly compact log about 12 inches long. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.