🎶 Chestnuts roasting in a closed oven
Jackfrost chilin' outside
Yuletide carols being played on Songza
And folks dressed up in yoga pants
Everybody knows not to eat turkey or mistletoe
Help to make the season cruelty-free
Tiny tots nowhere near my house
That leaves all the candy for meeeeee! 🎶
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You're welcome for that. Mhmm, some classy song re-writing happening on this little keyboard.
I have fond memories of roasting chestnuts since I was a wee muffin. I don't know why as they rarely turned out. We had this little wire basket on a stick that you would hold over the fire. Inevitably, your arm would get tired, so you would either A) give up, leaving under-roasted chestnuts, or B) set the basket down on the coal, making burnt chestnuts. Not so yum yum.
Even still, every time I see chestnuts in the store I get super excited and immediately pick up a bunch. When you do this be sure to note the price (for some reason I don't think many people actually buy chestnuts)!
Now I don't have an open fire to roast my chestnuts on, but I have good news, over the years I have perfected my chestnut oven roasting skills. Freshly roasted chestnuts are one of my most favourite winter snacks.
They are so warm, rich, soft, and roasty. The best part? You get to crack off the shells and make a mess, just like eating pistachios. I don't know why but I always seem to love snacks that require work while you're eating them.
The first step to roasting the most perfect chestnuts is to buy some. I know, genius. You're welcome.
When you are buying chestnuts, make sure the shells are firm, shiny, feel a little heavy for their size, and have a slight give when you squeeze them. If they give a lot when you press them, or rattle when you shake them it means the nut is dried up and no good. If they are very hard and have no give, it just means they need a few days to chill out on your counter to ripen.
Now that you have your chestnuts, you need to cut an x in the the shell of each one so that when you roast them, the steam can escape and they won't explode.
For some reason, almost everywhere I have looked, people tell you to use a small pairing knife to do this. I am warning you DON'T USE A SMALL PARING KNIFE! The shells are rounded and hard, so it is really, really easy for the knife to slip off, and straight into your finger. The easiest and safest method I have found to cut the x in the shell is to use my very special "thwacking" method.
How to Thwack: put one chestnut on a cutting board. Take a large heavy chefs knife in one hand. Put the other hand behind your back, nowhere near the chestnut! Now hold the chefs knife about 6 inches above the chestnut, and now thwack the chestnut. If all went well you would have cut a nice clean line without removing any fingers. Rotate the chestnut and thwack again to make an x. Repeat with the remaining chestnuts. It might take a little practice to get the perfect amount of thwacking force and aim, but you'll get the hang of it, I promise.
Now that you have your properly thwacked chestnuts, add them to a baking pan so the chestnuts are in one layer and have a bit of room around them.
Roast for about 20 minutes at 400F (200C). When they are ready, the shells will flower open, and the chestnuts inside will have a slight golden kiss and will look a little shiny.
If you want to peel them all in one go, wrap the hot chestnuts in a tea towel use your hand to crunch them together. This helps break up the shells quickly, so that they are easy to peel.
If you want to snack on them one by one, just peel them as you snack. They are easier to peel while they are still warm.
How to Roast Chestnuts (Without an Open Fire)
Ingredients
- Chestnuts (however many you like)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200C).
- Cut an x into the shell of each chestnut so that the steam can escape. I'm warning you DON'T USE A SMALL PARING KNIFE! The shells are rounded and hard, so it's really, really easy for the knife to slip off, and straight into your finger. The easiest and safest method I have found to cut the x in the shell is to use my very special "thwacking" method.
- How to Thwack: put one chestnut on a cutting board. Take a large heavy chefs knife in one hand. Put the other hand behind your back, nowhere near the chestnut! Now hold the chefs knife about 6 inches above the chestnut, and now thwack the chestnut. If all went well you would have cut a nice clean line without removing any fingers. Rotate the chestnut and thwack again to make an x. Repeat with the remaining chestnuts. It might take a little practice to get the perfect amount of thwacking force and aim, but you'll get the hang of it, I promise.
- Roast for about 20 minutes. When they are ready, the shells will flower open, and the chestnuts inside will have a slight golden kiss and will look a little shiny.
- To peel them all in one go: wrap the hot chestnuts in a tea towel use your hand to crunch them together. This helps break up the shells quickly, so that they are easy to peel.
- To snack on them one by one: just peel them as you snack. They are easier to peel while they are still warm.
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Eric says
Thank you Sam. I always think there has to more to them than the ones I had . Gonna try them again!
Sam says
I hope you like them!
Eric says
I've only had roast chestnuts once, from a vendor in the City. They were mushy and tasted like a bland, boiled bean. Were they roasted incorrectly? Or incompletely? Or too much? Or is that the way they are supposed to taste? I'm trying to figure out if I should try them again. Thank you!
Sam says
Haha! I don't think they taste like bland boiled beans at all! They are soft in texture, not like an average nut, more like a firm baked potato. The flavour is nutty, creamy, slightly sweet, and earthy. I love them, but I am sure not everyone does. Usually they are sold in bulk, so if you were interested in trying them you could always just buy a very small amount, and test it out. Hope that helps!
grace says
this is so useful! the chestnuts that come in jars never taste quite right to me.
and hey--i think you have a real future in songwriting. 🙂
Sam says
Haha why thank you Grace! 😀
Keri @ Fashionable Foods says
My best memory of chestnuts is eating them with my dad.. He doesn't roast them, though. Just eats them raw! I've always wanted to roast some myself, so I will definitely give this a try 🙂
Sam says
Oh I've never tried them raw! Didn't even know that was a thing! Now I am curious... but I do love their roastyness!
Elsa | the whinery says
I love the smell of chestnut roasting! I've never roasted them myself but with your detailed instructions, I might just try roasting some for the holidays! 🙂
Sam says
You totally should! I love them this time of year. One of my most favourite snacks 🙂
Kim says
Thank you so much! Love chestnuts! I've always said that pairing knives are of little to no use! All you need is a good chef's knife, especially for vegan cooking 🙂
Sam says
Totally agree!! I pretty much exclusively use my big chefs knife! Pairing knives just seem annoying!! haha
Amy (Lemon and Coconut) says
Hey Sam! I'm loving chestnuts at the moment, they're one of my favourites. I had the same thing on a fire, my Dad has this old can he uses, must be forty years old! Last Christmas at my parents I think only two were good after so many, and all that anticipation too (and burned fingertips). But sitting by the fire is so wonderful 🙂
Sam says
Haha! I bet that makes for many fond memories though. Perhaps you can actually eat some this year by roasting them in the oven! 🙂
Kathy Sturr says
Oh these look delicious! I must try! Also what fun to thwack! Great little song rewrite, too.
Sam says
Haha, thank you Kathy! 😀
Tiffany says
Those look yummy! I especially love your tips on how not to cut your fingers off. It looks so scary to me, but it is also very entriguing. Your pictures are great!
Sam says
Thank you Tiffany! Yes thats why you keep all hands away from the chestnuts rather than trying to hold them still. I learned by trial and error! Eek.