Low country boil

The recipe follows. We enjoyed this Cajun "stew" in Springfield. Picture yourself sitting lakeside  warm breezes drift through the sun porch where a crowd chats, laughs. You're on a wooden bench, the table is covered with newspapers, and steaming food smells rise. Soon you'll be choosing flavors and textures from big trays of food, dipping the morsels into spiced salts, peppers, and hot sauces. My oh my. Enjoy!

Low Country Boil (Amounts given in brackets are for approximately 14 guests. Adjust the amounts for your own company!) 

• Boil well-spiced broth* in a BIG BIG BIG deep pot, toss whole, scrubbed, med. unpeeled potatoes (20). Boil 10 min. Turn down the heat to simmer after each addition.
• Halve and add  corn on the cob. Cook 5 min. (20 cobs)
• Halve and add bratwurst, Andouille sausage. Cook 10 min.  (10 lbs total)
• Add raw shrimp (size 41-45/lb). Cook 5 min. (4 lbs)
• Drain, dump into trays. **Save the broth, cool to room temp, and freeze it as a base for next time?

Seasonings on the table: Cajun and other spicy salts, peppers, hot sauces

Before serving, cover the table with several layers of newspaper instead of plates, provide small sauce bowls for each person. Everyone helps themselves from central trays of food: use fingers instead of forks. Salts and all scraps land on the newspapers = remove dishes, roll up the newspaper, and toss it and scraps into a garbage at the end. Easiest cleanup ever!

Optional Broth:
Beef or seafood bouillon cubes - enough to make 1/2 pot of broth. Remember that the volume rises as the ingredients are added, so watch the level.