When I was in Costco last week, I came upon the big bag of roasted chestnuts, and remembering how much I hate to roast and peel chestnuts, I grabbed it! So even though I&T think this dish is best made with fresh ones, I succumbed to convenience. Incidentally, the question came up of what exactly a chestnut is. It's a fruit/nut, but unlike most fruit/nuts that are high in fat+protein and low in carbs, this one is inversely high in carbs and low in fat+protein.
I've never been a chestnut fan, which makes the task of peeling them even more annoying. But I will say that when chestnuts are used in the "right" application, I can definitely enjoy them. And that is the case here!
Even though in the vegan world, this would be considered a main course, in the omnivore world, this really feels like a Thanksgiving side dish. The word "Roast" in the name of this dish evokes a big cut of meat, but there is no hunk at the heart of this dish. It's a classic casserole of roasted veggies (and chestnuts and beans).
As in an earlier recipe that involved caramelizing onions, I needed much more time than I&T suggested, and ultimately I also had to crank up the heat to get more browning. After the onions are caramelized, everything gets tossed together in the casserole dish and then cooked, covered, to soften, then uncovered and topped with crumbs to brown. As with the onions, I needed extra time to brown. Maybe my oven is not a good browning oven....
This is a great sweet/salty mix. I added the exact amounts of salt called for in the recipe, and I have to say, even for salt-crazed me, this danced on the edge of overly salted. Luckily there's the sweetness of the squash, chestnuts, and onions to balance it out. And the beans lend a nice heartiness (and protein).SFO: 10
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