Fresh chestnuts are great when roasted. We collect them twice a day, more frequently when needed. I have finally found a really easy way to roast them and that information follows. I have started roasting and freezing what I’ll need for the holidays as I collect them….hard to have fresh chestnuts in November when they’re falling now!

Chestnuts can be steamed, boiled or roasted. The easiest way for me is to roast them in the oven. Small amounts I do in the toaster oven. Don’t skip making the incision into the nut…exploding chestnuts make quite a mess.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Make an incision: lay the chestnut flat on a cutting board, and hold firmly. Using a serrated knife, make a single slice the long way across the top. Its easy to slip and get cut…I use an old cutting glove as sometimes I stop paying as much attention as I should.
3. Oven roast: place the chestnuts flat side down (cut side up) in a single layer on a baking pan. Roast for approx 15-20 minutes. Give the pan a few shakes while roasting. The shells will start splitting as they roast. The only way to know if they are cooked through is by eating one of the roasted nuts.
4. Wrap them up: have a clean towel and bowl ready for the chestnuts. Once they are cooked through, remove the chestnuts from the oven and keep them wrapped in a towel for 10-15 minutes. Fresh out of the oven they are too hot to handle; wrapping them allows some steaming and helps separate the shell from the nut. Start removing the shells while they are still warm, keeping the unshelled nuts covered. Once they cool its tough to remove the shells.

The peeled chestnuts can be held in the refrigerator for a day or two. If freezing, I freeze them the day I roast them. Lay the cooled chestnuts on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and place them covered in the freezer. Once frozen, they can be stored in the freezer in a plastic bag with as much of the air removed as possible. Vacuum packing works great.

Uncooked chestnuts can mold. These should be discarded. Unfortunately you may not be able to tell until they have been roasted and removed from their shell. 

Enjoy your chestnuts!