Three hands-off centerpieces to simplify holiday hosting

By Ali Slagle, The New Your Times

Thoughtful guests often offer to lend a hand in the kitchen, but they don’t have to be sous-chefs if you put your oven to work instead.

When you let ingredients luxuriate in the oven, you end up with less prep work and no nerve-wracking, last-minute sautéing in front of an audience. A low-and-slow roast or braise even frees you up to clean the house, set the table, stir together drinks and mingle with company.

Logistical perks aside, these three dishes also taste incredibly rich given their minimal effort. A tough cut of meat surrenders to a wobble. Chicken skin crisps to a brittle chip, and whole winter squash willingly yield to being pried open. The oven’s dry heat reduces liquid and browns surfaces without toughening meat and vegetables, extracting deeper flavor from ingredients so you can use fewer for grand results.

And, because the food is slow to cook, it’s also slow to overcook — if you’r...