Chilli Spiced Roasted Chestnuts
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750grams chestnuts in shells
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1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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1.5 teaspoon muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
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2 teaspoons salt
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1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 410F/210C. Line a baking tray with parchment. Place one chestnut flat side down on a cutting board and cut an "X" with a sharp, serrated knife in the curved side of the chestnut. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Step 2 - Have a tea towel spread out and carefully lift the chestnuts onto the tea towel (I usually pick up the parchment by the corners and lift that). Wrap the tea towel around it and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Then take the bundle of chestnuts and roll the bundle so that the chestnut shells crack. Then remove the meat from the shells. The shells and the furry layer come off much easier when the nuts are hot.
Step 3 - Mix butter, cayenne pepper, muscovado sugar and salt in a bowl and drizzle over the chestnuts tossing them so that they are covered.