Oven-Roasted Whole Chestnuts

I couldn’t resist grabbing a bag of whole chestnuts at Trader Joe’s recently and found a great oven-roasted chestnut recipe on The Spruce that sounded simple and perfect. The chestnuts smelled amazing while roasting and were much easier to shell than I imagined. They were simple, warm, and delicious. Eat them plain or sauté them with a bit of butter and cinnamon–either way, they are delicious.

Oven-Roasted Whole Chestnuts

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of whole unpeeled chestnuts

How to Make Oven-Roasted Whole Chestnuts:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Using a sharp paring knife, make an X-shaped cut on the round side of each chestnut.   Side Note: Don’t skip this step because it keeps them from exploding when heated.

Arrange the chestnuts in a cast iron skillet or baking dish.

Place the chestnuts in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the skins have pulled back from the cuts and the nut inside has softened.

Remove the nuts from the oven, make a mound of chestnuts in a tea towel, wrap them, and squeeze hard to crack.

Peel the chestnuts and eat them plain or sauté them in some butter with a pinch of cinnamon and salt. Enjoy.