Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire!

Though there are so many renditions of this gorgeous song, no one did it better than Nat King Cole. That being said, have you ever had roasted chestnuts? They aren't like nuts at all, but are sort of like baked sweet potatoes. Sweet, meaty, and rich. They are best roasted over hot coals, but we've been known to do them on the gas grill or in the oven. Once you've roasted them, they are great in stuffings, tossed with Brussels Sprouts or root vegetables, or just peeled and eaten.

When selecting chestnuts, look for the shiniest and largest ones you can find and heavy in your hand. When squeezed, they should be firm, have no cracks or holes. If you are not using them right away, store them in the refrigerator.

Using a sharp paring knife or kitchen scissors, make an shallow cut on the round side of each chestnut just to go through the skin. Chestnuts expand when cooked and this keeps them from exploding when heated and makes peeling easier after roasting.

Place the chestnuts in a bowl and cover with warm water. Soak the chestnuts for about 2 hours. Drain and pat dry.

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Arrange chestnuts on a baking sheet scored side up.

Place the sheet the bottom 1/3 oven and roast them until the skins have pulled back from the cuts and the nutmeats have softened. The actual time required will depend on the chestnuts but will be about 20-25 minutes. Increase oven temp to 425 an additional 10-15 minutes or until the chestnuts are golden brown and the meats are starting to peek out.

Remove the nuts from the oven and pile them into a mound in an old towel. Wrap them up, squeeze hard—the chestnuts should crackle—and let them sit for 10-15 minutes.

Peel these while they're warm: pull and snap off the dark shells to reveal the yellowish white chestnuts. While peeling, make sure to also remove the papery skin between the shell and the chestnut.

Enjoy!