Stuffing is one of my favourite parts of a Christmas dinner and this stuffing recipe is about as Christmassy as it gets. Something about the smell of sage just screams Christmas with my family and roasting the chestnuts is a perfect Christmas-time experience.
The recipe is very quick and simple and you can shape the stuffing into balls to roast alongside whatever you’re cooking this year.
Peeling chestnuts can be a little difficult, so it’s important to score and roast them, allowing most of the shell to peel off itself. A top tip here is to add in a little water to the baking tray, as the steam helps the shells peel a little easier. I’d also recommend de-shelling the chestnuts whilst they are still warm, as I always find it easier to get the shells off quickly this way.
Ingredients
- 160g chestnuts
- Glug of vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sage
- ½ tbsp rosemary
- 80g breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
Method
- Preheat the oven to 230 Celsius/ 450 Fahrenheit.
- Score each of the chestnuts with a crossed and put onto a baking tray. Pour in 60ml water and put the tray in the oven. Leave the chestnuts for around 10 minutes, or until the shells of the chestnuts peel away.
- Turn the oven down to 180 Celsius/350 Fahrenheit.
- Whilst still warm, remove the chestnuts from their shells and finely chop.
- Put a frying pan on a medium heat, add the vegetable oil to the pan, followed by the chopped onion. Sweat the onions for around 3 minutes, until they start to turn translucent.
- Add in the Sage, rosemary chestnuts and fry for a further 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the contents of your pan into a large bowl and add in the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper stirring them into the mixture.
- Next, add in the egg a little at a time, until your stuffing mixture has combined and can be easily shaped into balls. You don't have to use up all the egg for this - I usually find I need 3/4 of the eggs.
- Shape your stuffing into balls and place onto a baking tray. Put in the oven for around 30-35 minutes, until the stuffing balls are golden brown and beautiful!
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