Sage and honey butter roasted chestnuts
Nothing says Christmas like roasted chestnuts. These ones – roasted in a tin-foil bowl with a sweet and herby butter – are the perfect snacks for chilly winter evenings
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 18chestnuts
- 100g unsalted butter
- 1tbsp runny honey, plus 1 tsp
- small handful of sage, torn, plus a few leaves to garnish
- large pinch of cinnamon
- sea salt flakes, to serve
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put each chestnut flat-side down on a chopping board. Carefully hold the chestnuts and, using a sharp knife, cut a cross in the top of each – try to cut through just the shell and not the nut inside. Transfer them to a large bowl of just-boiled water, cover and leave to sit for 3 mins.Step 2
Meanwhile, put the butter, honey, chopped sage and cinnamon in a small pan along with ½ tsp salt. Cook over a low-medium heat and leave until the butter melts, stirring to combine. Drain the chestnuts thoroughly, patting them dry, then transfer to a bowl. Pour over the honey-butter mixture and toss to coat.Step 3
Put a large sheet of foil on a rimmed baking tray. Tip the chestnuts and honey butter into the centre of the foil in a single layer. Loosely gather up the edges of the foil around the chestnuts, leaving an opening at the top.Step 4
Transfer to the oven and roast for 30-35 mins or until the shells begin to curl up and the chestnuts are cooked through. Remove from the oven, close the gap in the foil and leave to sit for a further 5 mins. Transfer to a serving platter, scraping out all of the buttery juices. Garnish with the reserved sage leaves and sprinkle over flaky sea salt. Serve while still hot with a spoon to drizzle over more honey butter.