How To Roast Chestnuts: Stefan Gates Demonstrates (VIDEO)

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ..." How many of us have dreamed of that scene from the popular holiday holiday song? Roasted chestnuts are a part of the Christmas tradition. In big cities, roasted chestnuts can be had almost on every corner during the months leading up to Christmas. It's a treat to eat them warm, smoky and toasty.

Roasting chestnuts in the oven is a good way of creating that holiday feel at home, but what if there were a more authentic way? Watch the video above from British food writer and television personality Stefan Gates. His latest book, The Extraordinary Cookbook , goes where no cookbook has gone before -- with recipes for some unique dishes prepared in unusual ways, like chestnuts roasted in a holey pan over an open flame.

Stefan uses a cheap dollar-store frying pan as his weapon of choice. He drills holes into it, replicating those holey chestnut pans that are a common sight throughout Europe. He adds scored chestnuts to the pan and places it over a hot gas flame (a requirement for this technique). This method adds a characteristic smokiness to the chestnuts, which will taste much like the street-corner kind. Once you try this technique at home, you'll be roasting chestnuts in front of all your friends and family.

Get the Holey-Pan-Roasted Chestnuts recipe