The meal that brings people back matters more than the plate nobody wants to disturb.

Beautiful arrangements can end up asking to be admired rather than eaten. Hospitality that is trying to impress puts a small distance between the guest and the food, and the evening turns into a viewing. The dish people ask for again is generally the one that was easy to serve, easy to return to, made in enough quantity that nobody had to be careful. Coming back is a better measure of a meal than admiration.

Cook the thing you can make plenty of rather than the thing you will be nervous about. And whatever you serve, say early that there is more, so people take a proper amount.