Make your holiday dinner a hit with these unique recipes

Crown your table with this stunning lamb centerpiece. The meaty sculpture is filled with stuffing made from dried desert fruits like apricots and prunes, pistachios, onion, couscous and spices. The genius of this recipe is constructing the finished stuffing, sauce and lamb after cooking, so you can concentrate on perfectly cooking the crown.

Find the recipe at Serious Eats

Studded with red pomegranate seeds and dusted with green herbs, this bright yellow cauliflower head (dyed with turmeric) makes a stunning centerpiece for any vegetarian holiday feast. Even if your holiday table is laden with meat, this whole head of cauliflower stands up as a powerfully tasty side thanks to its rich tahini-based sauce and deep roasty flavors.

Find the recipe over at Food52

If you live in sunny Florida or California, or if you’re simply willing to brave the cold to fire up the grill in the middle of winter, you can wow your guests with this holiday ham recipe that gets unique flavor from time on the grill. Traditional elements like pineapple rings also meet the grill, while the meat gets multiple baths in sweet pineapple glaze to ensure it emerges succulent and juicy.

Find the recipe from Food Network

No one can argue with latkes at a Hanukkah celebration (they’re potatoes, they’re fried, what’s not to love?), but if you’d like to upgrade your spuds this year, try this Japanese take on the classic holiday dish. This recipe for okonomiyaki finds common ground between the two fried foods, incorporating kosher ingredients into the cabbage pancake. It’s not traditional to either culture, but rather a beautiful symbiosis.

Find the recipe on The Nosher

Alison Roman’s viral chickpea-coconut-turmeric stew blew up on the internet last winter, but the holidays seem like the perfect time to revive this healthy, restorative bowl of trendy ingredients. Treat yourself and your fam to a few feel-good bowls the day after everyone stuffs themselves with cookies and pie. Then use the viral recipe to explain Instagram to your nana.

Find the original recipe on The New York Times

These mini Christmas tree-shaped cookies may well upstage the real tree in the living room. Using store-bought sugar cookie dough makes this recipe a cinche. Just use a hand mixer to whip up the green frosting, layer with baked cookies, and decorate with sprinkles.

Find the recipe on Delish

If you find your cookie tins overflowing with gingersnaps around the holidays, reuse some of those cookies in this delightful ice cream recipe. It’s perfect along with a warm slice of your favorite comforting pie, or for any antagonistic eater who enjoys cold desserts during the colder months.

Find the recipe at Serious Eats