Yield: Total time: 1 large head of garlic 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper 2 pounds sweet potatoes (see Tip) ½ cup heavy cream 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

butter in a large skillet over medium-high and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and slightly browned at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the oregano and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

4. In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then beat in the milk. Pour the stock mixture and milk mixture over the bread and toss with two spoons until evenly coated. Add 1 cup mozzarella, and toss again until well combined. Let sit until the bread fully absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes.

5. Transfer the stuffing and any accumulated liquid to the greased baking dish, spread out evenly and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. (To make ahead, you can stop at this stage, cover the dish and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

6. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is melted, 15 to 25 minutes. (You may need to add a few minutes to the bake time if the stuffing has been refrigerated.) Sprinkle a pinch of oregano over the top and serve immediately.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH ROASTED GARLIC

By: Eric Kim

There’s no reason we can’t treat sweet potatoes like regular potatoes — mashed with butter, cream, roasted garlic and lots of salt. Baking sweet potatoes in the oven, avoiding large pots of boiling water, is not just a hands-off way to cook them; it also concentrates their flavor.

4 to 6 servings

1 ½ hours

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Turn the garlic head on its side and carefully cut off the very top end to expose the cloves. (Discard the top.) Place the head of garlic on a sheet of foil, cut side up, and drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly and place on a sheet pan. Wrap each sweet potato individually in foil and place on the pan alongside the garlic.

2. Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and the garlic is soft, fragrant and slightly caramelized, about 1 hour. Set aside, still wrapped, to cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, heat the cream and butter in the microwave in 30-second intervals, checking after each, until the butter is melted, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, you can heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium until the butter is melted.)

4. Unwrap the sweet potatoes and peel them, discarding the skin and adding the orange flesh to a large bowl. Squeeze the garlic head, cut side down, into the bowl to release the roasted cloves. Pour in the hot cream and butter. Using a whisk or fork, break up the potatoes and garlic and vigorously stir until smooth and fluffy, at least 30 seconds. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with salt and pepper as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm. (To make ahead, transfer to a buttered casserole dish or cake pan, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, until ready to eat. Bake in a 350-degree oven or microwave until heated through, about 15 minutes. On Thanksgiving, you should reheat this when the turkey is out of the oven and resting.)

Tips: There are many varieties of sweet potatoes available now, but what you want here are just the regular brown-skinned, orange-fleshed ones (varieties of which include jewel, Covington and Beauregard). Don’t use redskinned or white-fleshed sweet potatoes, which cook differently.

GREEN BEAN, ARTICHOKE AND RADICCHIO SALAD

By: Eric Kim

Snappy cooked green beans make a gorgeous salad with radicchio and canned artichokes. All you need for this zinger of a side dish is a generous glug of olive oil, a heavy hand with salt and pepper and an electric spritz of lemon.

4 to 6 servings

15 minutes

Yield: Total time: 8 ounces green beans Salt 1 head radicchio 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper 1 lemon, halved Pinch of dried oregano

1. Snap the tough stem ends off the green beans, then cut into 2-inch pieces or in halves. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the green beans and boil until bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold tap water to stop the cooking and set aside.

2. While the beans continue draining, slice the radicchio in half and cut out the core (the hard white part in the bottom-center). Cut each radicchio half into 2-inch pieces, separate the leaves and arrange on a large platter. Scatter the green beans over the radicchio. Drain the artichoke hearts very well, cut each in half lengthwise and arrange cut sides up over the green beans. (If making ahead, you can stop here, cover the platter and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then proceed with Step 3 the following day.)

3. Drizzle the salad with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Squeeze 1 lemon half over the salad and sprinkle with the oregano. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or lemon as desired. Serve just like this or toss and serve.

LEMONY CRANBERRY RELISH

By: Eric Kim Cranberry-and-orange relish is a classic, but here, a whole lemon — pith and all — acts as the bitter, acerbic edge that your Thanksgiving plate needs. This confetti of a condiment also looks so beautiful, almost like stained glass, with its jeweled, ruby gleam.

Yield: Total time: 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries (3 cups) 1 lemon, preferably thin-skinned, coarsely chopped and seeded ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar Pinch of salt

2 cups 5 minutes

1. Rinse and drain the cranberries, then pick out and discard any squishy ones. In a food processor, pulse the cranberries, lemon, sugar and salt until finely chopped. You can serve this immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours, or until ready to serve. As it sits, the sugar will dissolve and the fruit will release liquid, creating a sweet-tart sauciness.

CARAMEL APPLE PUDDING

By: Eric Kim

The particular joy of this pudding lies in the voluptuous softness it takes on as it sits in the refrigerator overnight. With time, the layers cohere: vanilla cookies, caramel-fried apples and salted cinnamon whipped cream, an airy dream in fall-dessert form. 6 to 8 servings

35 minutes,

Yield: Total time: For the Caramel Apples: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 large crisp sweet-tart apples (1 pound), such as Fuji or Pink Lady, unpeeled and finely chopped (see Tip) ¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons) ¼ packed cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) For the Whipped Cream: 2 cups very cold heavy whipping cream 1 packed tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) For Assembly: 1 (11-ounce) box vanilla wafers

1. Make the caramel apples: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the liquid is reduced but saucy with the consistency of chunky applesauce, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, make the whipped cream: In a large bowl, using a large whisk or an electric mixer, whisk the cream, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until soft peaks form. (When you lift the whisk out of the bowl and turn it whisk-side up, a peak of cream should flop over onto itself.) Don’t overbeat; you’re looking for a soft-set whipped cream that drapes rather than plops.

3. Assemble the pudding: In a medium bowl or other serving vessel (preferably clear), arrange one-third of the vanilla wafers at the bottom, top with half of the caramel apples, then spread with half of the whipped cream. Repeat these layers once more and end with a final sprinkle of crushed vanilla wafers on top. (If you want crunch, save this final sprinkle for right before serving.) Cover and refrigerate until the cookies are soft, about 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

Tips: Though you could finely chop the apples by hand, cutting them into chunks and blitzing them in a food processor is infinitely quicker and highly recommended here.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.