Kestane Kebabı | Scored Chestnuts Roasted over Embers for a Winter Snack

Fill a bowl with water, add the chestnuts, and remove any that float; a floating chestnut is dried out or worm-eaten and will be hollow after roasting. Drain the ones that sink, rub them under running water, and dry them with a towel. Remove any nuts with cracked, soft, or punctured shells as well.

Hold each chestnut flat side down and make a crosswise cut on its rounded side with the tip of a sharp knife. Cut through the hard shell only, not the yellow flesh inside; if the knife cuts into the flesh, the chestnut will lose moisture while roasting. Even one unscored chestnut can burst over the coals and scatter embers, so check them one by one.

Arrange the chestnuts in a single layer, scored side up, in a perforated chestnut pan or heavy griddle. Set it over glowing embers after the flames have died down. Keep the lid on for the first five minutes, then shake the pan every two to three minutes to turn the chestnuts. They are ready when the cuts open backward, the flesh turns golden, and the shells smell roasted.

Remove the chestnuts from the coals, wrap them in a clean towel, and let them rest for two minutes; steam trapped in the towel loosens the inner skin from the shell. When they are cool enough to handle, peel away the shell and skin together from the scored cut. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and toss with melted butter. If serving young children, do not give them whole chestnuts: cut each one lengthwise in half, or into quarters for children under four, because a whole chestnut can be a slippery bite.