Here's a simple guide to roasting chestnuts. Screen the
chestnuts by looking over them carefully and choosing just those
that are firm and whose skins are a shiny, rich brown color. If
they smell moldy, have a blotchy look or pinholes - toss them
out!
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Clean off chestnuts with a damp towel.
Use a sharp paring knife to cut an X into one side of each
chestnut, or prick chestnuts with a fork to allow steam to escape.
This keeps them from exploding. If you don't do this, you will have
a big mess to clean up!
Arrange chestnuts on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan, with
the cut or pricked sides up.
Roast in the oven for 15 minutes to 25 minutes, or until
chestnuts are tender and easy to peel. Wrap the hot chestnuts in an
old towel and squeeze them hard. Squeezing the chestnuts will break
and crush the skins, which will make peeling them much easier to
do. Let the crushed chestnuts rest inside the towel for about 5
minutes before unwrapping them.
Peel the nuts when they are cool enough to handle, and
enjoy.
Of course, you can still roast them the traditional way on an
open fire!
