Here's how to roast chestnuts in your very own oven!

Ever since nibbling on warm roasted chestnuts during a trip to Italy two decades ago, I’ve always been curious as to whether you could do this at home. Well, yes indeed, you certainly can! These sweet nuts are delicious as a snack or they can be used in stuffing or to add a punch to a side of Brussels sprouts. Okay so how do YOU use chestnuts? I need to expand my repertoire!

Fresh whole chestnuts are often available around the holidays, both in specialty markets and supermarkets, usually at around $4 per pound. I found mine at a sidewalk stand during a recent stay in New York. Now that the holidays are fast approaching, (officially Chestnut Season at my house!), I did a bit of Web surfing to see what I could learn about home roasting.

I stumbled upon a neat site, StartCookin.com, with an extensive, photo-illustrated explanation of exactly what to do right in your oven. You just cut an X-shaped slit into the nuts to vent steam, (this is the hardest part), and pop them into a 425-degree oven for roughly half an hour. Click here for the exact link with all of the details. Enjoy!