Pretty much all stews benefit from being made a day or two ahead. Two of my favorite make ahead mains are Boeuf Bourguignon and Osso Buco - altho you cannot make the risotto that goes with the OB until the last minute. Brisket or braised short ribs would also be great choices.Turkey Tetrazzini is another goodie - casserole-ish dish.
Full disclosure: I have never actually made Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate (yet). However, it is invariably mentioned in threads about great make-ahead dinner party mains, so I'll go ahead and provide the link ;)
some tried & true recipes that strike, imho, a nice balance between ease of making and complex taste results:
Nach Waxman famous sliced brisket
https://food52.com/recipes/search?q=brisket
boeuf bourgignon adapted from J Child, R Carrier and Chlotilde Dusolier (chocolate and zucchini blogger)
https://food52.com/recipes/16215-boeuf-bourgignon
No fuss jerk chicken & coconut rice with peas (David Tanis)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/08/dining/with-jamaica-out-of-reach-making-jerk-chicken-at-home.html?_r=0
For the mole and curry, there are tons of recipes from simple to complex and regional variations, so it's harder to recommend one.
Duck Confit. The hard part is finding the duck fat. Use the duck fat to fry potatoes and then another vegetable, maybe roasted carrots and a salad. A butternut squash soup with ginger would be a nice first course.
Here's a source for duck fat I've used before, shipping is expensive, so fill up your order with their duck confit---it's excellent. They also sell uncooked duck legs and breasts.
http://www.hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com/index.php/duck-47.html
Braised usually do better the next day. I usually cook it the day before, refrigerate,skim fat then reheat in the same pot. Short ribs and lamb shanks do really well. Ragus as well (there's a f 52 short rib ragu recipe that is stupid good)
These things taste as good or better after the first cooking: boeuf burgignon, brisket, curried or jerk chicken, mole chicken.
Grain salads and slaws hold up nicely for a few days in the fridge.
And if you make twice-baked or stuffed potatoes, you can do the first baking, scoop out, mash & stuff on day one and do the second bake just before the dinner.
My gandmother's Hungarian beef stew benefits from being made a few days ahead, and can also be frozen. Spätzle can also be made a day or two ahead, tossed with butter when hot, and then gently reheated stovetop with additional butter or oil, or placed in a covered casserole in a 300F oven. Serve with a tossed salad or lightly steamed asparagus. The stew does have juices, they just don't photograph well.
https://food52.com/recipes/32637-anyu-s-porkolt
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http://www.silverpalate.com/recipe/store-favorites/chicken-marbella
Nach Waxman famous sliced brisket
https://food52.com/recipes/search?q=brisket
boeuf bourgignon adapted from J Child, R Carrier and Chlotilde Dusolier (chocolate and zucchini blogger)
https://food52.com/recipes/16215-boeuf-bourgignon
No fuss jerk chicken & coconut rice with peas (David Tanis)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/08/dining/with-jamaica-out-of-reach-making-jerk-chicken-at-home.html?_r=0
For the mole and curry, there are tons of recipes from simple to complex and regional variations, so it's harder to recommend one.
Here's a source for duck fat I've used before, shipping is expensive, so fill up your order with their duck confit---it's excellent. They also sell uncooked duck legs and breasts.
http://www.hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com/index.php/duck-47.html
Grain salads and slaws hold up nicely for a few days in the fridge.
And if you make twice-baked or stuffed potatoes, you can do the first baking, scoop out, mash & stuff on day one and do the second bake just before the dinner.
https://food52.com/recipes/32637-anyu-s-porkolt