Chestnuts were roasting last night…not over an open fire, but in the oven.
I first had roasted chestnuts during my many business trips to Austria a few years ago, and I fell in love with them. I ate them every chance I got. I had been chestnut-free for awhile though until I found a street vendor selling some near St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City after Thanksgiving last year.
So I figured why not try to roast some myself? I stopped by the grocery store last night and picked some up. Googling for a recipe, I found an easy one where all you had to do was cut an X on the flat side of the chestnut (making sure to cut through the skin), and let them sit in a 425 degree oven for twenty minutes while stirring occasionally.
And what do you know, it worked. They were delicious. It’s not quite the same as having a bag full of hot, roasted chestnuts while walking around the wintery streets of New York City (or Vienna, Austria), but it certainly comes close.
Perhaps I’ll attempt to actually roast them over an open fire on Christmas Day like the song says.