Oven-Roasted Fresh Chestnuts
Nothing speaks winter holidays to me more than fresh chestnuts in season. Although roasted and peeled chestnuts are available in vacuum-packed cans and jars, roasting your own fresh chestnuts is much less expensive and a lot more fun. For other ways to roast and cook fresh chestnuts, including how to roast them over an open fire, steam, boil, or toasting them in a chestnut roasting pan on the stovetop, see pages 149–151 in New Good Food: Essential Ingredients for Cooking and Eating Well.
Preheat oven to 400–425° F.
Cut a slit halfway around the rounded outer shell of the chestnut or make two slits in the form of a cross on the flatter side.
Place cut chestnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of the slit curl back and the chestnut meat becomes soft.
Remove from the oven, wrap them in a clean dish towel, squeeze the chestnuts until they crackle, and peel them while they are still warm.
Eat right away — they are delicious! —or use them in any recipe, like my Lentil Chestnut Loaf. Refrigerate leftovers in a tightly covered container and use within a couple weeks.