Ingredients:

1 pound (1/2 kilo) fresh, raw chestnuts in their shells.

Directions:

Place each chestnut flat side down on a cutting board. Carefully cut an ‘X’ or one long ‘slit’ on the rounded side of each chestnut using a paring knife, bird’s beak knife, long serrated knife or a chestnut knife－this is procedure is known as the “Scoring” process.

Place the raw scored chestnuts in a bowl of warm water and let them soak for 30 minutes. This will ensure that the nuts don’t dry out while roasting and contributes to easy peeling.

Drain nuts and place in a single layer on a baking pan or rack, leaving a space in-between the chestnuts.

Roast at 350F / 175C for about 30 minutes. They’re ready when the skins have receded and the nut meats are visible and soft.

Place chestnuts on a clean tea towel and squeeze the nuts to get the shells and the inner skin to separate. This should be easy when using the towel (the nuts will be hot so take care).

Let the nuts cool for a couple minutes, then pull the shells and skin off.

Serve warm (they will loose some softness as they cool).

Dunstan roasted chestnuts have a delicate, slightly sweet, and nutty flavor with a soft, buttery texture, often compared to a baked sweet potato.