How to Roast Chestnuts
These are so fun to make and eat as a family. You don't really need to cut the X. Just make a single cut across the chestnut.
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients:
| fresh raw chestnuts | |
| sea salt |
Directions:
To Roast Chestnuts:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Wipe the chestnuts off with a damp towel and set them on a cutting board, flat side down.
With a small, sharp knife cut an X in each chestnut. (or a single cut across will do). The X allows the steam to escape while they are cooking. (Do not omit this step, otherwise the chestnuts could explode in the oven!) This will also make peeling a lot easier.
For safety sake, you may feel more comfortable cushioning the chestnut on a (clean) dish towel to cut the X.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Place the cut chestnuts into the boiling water and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain.
Put the chestnuts on a baking pan with the cut facing up. Sprinkle with sea salt.
It will take 20-30 minutes to roast the chestnuts. When cooked, the shells will burst open, and the chestnut will be golden brown. The tricky part is actually knowing when they are done. If you over-cook OR under-cook them, they will get hard and the inner skin will be very difficult to remove.
Now comes the hard part: peeling them! You need to peel them while they are still warm. Let them cool just enough so that you can touch them, then start peeling. Be very careful not to burn your fingers!
Source: startcooking.com
