With cooler weather finally here, my thoughts turn to Thanksgiving.  There’s a ton of things I look forward to about Thanksgiving — my kids coming home, the senior luncheon we host on Thanksgiving Day, and pumpkin bread, to name a few.  And chestnuts.  When I lived in Manhattan, I bought them from street vendors all winter long, but I especially enjoy roasted chestnuts during the holidays.

Chestnuts can be hard to find here in Houston, and when I’m able to find them they’re usually expensive, and at least a third of them are moldy inside their shell.  So I’ve taken chestnut matters into my own hands and ordered them online from Cedar Hill Farms in Missouri.  The smallest amount they sell of their beautiful large chestnuts is a 5-lb bag, which is $30 plus shipping.  That’s really more than I need, so I share them with other chestnut lovers.  These meaty chestnuts are delicious — and I’ve never come across a single moldy one.

Here’s my 5-lb bag of chestnuts:

It’s filled with plump, shiny, beautiful chestnuts:

Roasting them in the oven is easy, but they require a little prep work.  Although you can use any sharp knife, I recommend buying a chestnut knife like the one pictured.  Using your knife, cut an x on the round side of each chestnut, which helps keep them from exploding during roasting.

Place the prepared chestnuts on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the shells pull back where the X is and the chestnuts are golden:

To make peeling them easier, wrap up the chestnuts in a dish towel and press down hard on them to further crack the shells.  Snuggle up in front of a fire and enjoy your fresh-roasted chestnuts (but be sure to save some for Thanksgiving stuffing!)

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