As the Christmas season starts to get closer it’s hard to ignore the calls of ‘chestnuts roasting in an open fire,’ and for those who listen to Christmas music the craving for a good chestnut stuffing may be even stronger. While you may not have an open fire, you most likely have an oven which is all you need in order to get some great chestnut stuffing that will please you and your guests.
To start, preheat your oven to 400F and cut an ‘X’ into each chestnut taking care to place the X upwards on the baking sheet. Then pop them in the oven for thirty minutes so that the skins peel off and you have a set of roasted chestnuts without a shell. If there are any skins left peel them off and discard of them.
Next, chop up the chestnuts coarsely and then place them aside for a moment while you melt some butter on medium heat. Once the butter is melted add in some celery and onion and steam the vegetables down for about ten minutes.
After ten minutes has passed empty the butter and vegetables into a large bowl and combine with cubed bread, stock, and parsley. You want the mix to be briefly moistened so usually about two cups will work but you will have to use your own judgment. Finally, add in some chestnuts and add a bit of pepper and salt to taste. Now you can either use the stuffing in the poultry or toss it in a baking dish and drizzle with a bit more stock and then cook for thirty minutes.