The key to crispy latkes is to remove as much liquid from the shredded potatoes and onions as possible before you mix in the other ingredients. Wrapping the grated onion and potatoes in a clean dishcloth and using it to wring out the liquid is a helpful technique.Lorenza’s family serves their latkes with stracchino, an Italian cow’s-milk cheese with a creamy texture. If you can’t find it, a good substitute would be Taleggio, which has a slightly more assertive flavor but an equally soft and buttery texture.

Jewish families around the world celebrate Hanukkah with fried sweets, but these vary widely by community. In Moroccan homes, you might find sfenj; in Egyptian families, zalabia; and in Israel, sufganiyot filled with jam. Lorenza’s family makes these yeasted fritters that are studded with plump raisins and flavored with grappa.

Lorenza grew up in Milan eating ricotta cheesecake around Hanukkah, but it’s most often thought of as a treat from Rome, where it’s customarily served for Shavuot in Jewish homes and on Christmas in Catholic ones. It likely arrived in the Eternal City via Sephardi Jews who fled Sicily during the Spanish Inquisition.The lightly sweetened cake gets its flavor and tender texture from ricotta, so use the best- quality cheese you can find. Some artisan ricottas are sold still in their draining baskets, with a bit of whey in the bottom of the container; be sure to drain the cheese for a few minutes before using in the recipe.

These pots de crème are the triple threat of holiday desserts: delicious, adorable, and make-ahead. All you’ll have to do is finish with a dollop of whipped cream to serve.

These matzo balls are easy to make and wonderfully light and fluffy. Feel free to skip the carrot and onion if you’re a purist.

Cooking brisket in the slow cooker is brilliant—flavorful sauce, meltingly tender beef, and very little effort. And since braised meat only gets better as it sits, we recommend making this the day before you're going to serve it. Simply trim off the excess fat and blend the sauce in advance, then slice and reheat just before serving.

Stuffing in a waffle iron might sound a little out-there, but when you crunch through those delightfully crispy corners, you’ll understand. (This would be a perfect breakfast with a fried egg and leftover gravy sidecar.) Because no two leftover stuffings are the same, add stock as needed until you get a nice moist mixture.

Cranberry sauce is always delicious on a leftover thanksgiving sandwich, but we like changing it up here with Brie and a bitter green salad. These could be a perfect appetizer if you cut them into smaller pieces. We also wouldn’t mind if you threw some caramelized onions on there.