Wild Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts Recipe (2024)

You're right, we are making that correction. The ingredient list should should call for roasted chestnuts, not just chestnuts. They can be either purchased or homemade. I used roasted chestnuts from a jar when testing.

Chestnuts should be roasted first and then they crumble. There is an excellent Youtube video explaining how to do it easily--the one where you slit across the equator of the chestnut, steam it, then roast it. Works well.

I have a guest who may be allergic to chestnuts and nuts in general...what can I substitute for them to help achieve a similar effect. Parsnips?

This was a huge, huge hit. Great balance of flavors and textures. We chopped our herbs (chives, dill, tarragon and parsley) separately so everyone could add whatever flavor they were partial to. We made the chestnut/shallot mix the day before (it kept perfectly) and used baby brussell sprouts with our wild mushroom mix. Absolutely fantastic dish that went with everything beautifully...

I cheated and bought Korean peeled chestnuts in vacuum packed pouches. Worked very well and first Thanksgiving without fingernails tainted marron color.

Recipe worked out well. Will use it for Thanksgiving. Being in the West Coast, I did not understand crumbling chestnuts. They don't crumble. You have to take off the skins and chop them up. The type of mushrooms did not seem to matter. Bought a mixture from the local TJ's. Thanks Melissa!

Made with pine nuts instead of chestnuts. Very good, would make again.

This dish is an excellent, complex blend of flavors and textures. I served it for Thanksgiving and out of all the dishes on the table this was the one people singled out. The Chanterelles are an elegant touch to the earthy combination of ingredients. Serve it while you can, the Chanterelles are seasonally available for a limited time every year in northern California.

Skip the chestnuts except in winter. Use Armagnac instead of any other type of brandy.

Did not care for this dish at all. Sprouts overpowered mushrooms, chestnuts tasted odd and brandy failed to join the main ingredients together. Fail.

Sorry to be a naysayer but we found this dish disappointing. Made it by the book except for omitting the salt (health reasons) but it's bland and the roasted brussels sprouts dominate. The extra ingredients aren't coming through for me. It's unusual that I disagree so much with the hive mind.

Wow! This dish has really interesting and complex flavor. (Note, chestnuts were all sold out so close to Christmas, but roasted almonds seemed like a fine substitution, also bourbon instead of brandy.) We loved the different flavors and textures of the wild mushrooms (used maitake, shiitake, and oyster), the caramelized shallot, nuts, and cinnamon. Used suggested soft herbs, light dill. Simple prep with the oven roasting. Lovely addition to our small Christmas dinner, will definitely make again.

I made a few adjustments but love this combo. I used walnuts instead of chestnuts and left out the brandy. Still absolutely delicious.

Not having any chestnuts, I tried cashews....a good enough substitute. Because they were already roasted and salted, I used less salt in the original recipe. Also Balsamic vinegar was a substitute for cider vinegar....a nice lunch!

What do you suggest as a substitute for the brandy?

I subbed walnuts for chestnuts and sherry for brandy. It was dank!!

The vegetables cook down quite a bit so the yield is closer to 4-6 servings. If you double it, you will need to use two pans for each vegetable. The sprouts should be cooked until tender but not soft.

EVERYBODY LOVED IT!!! Disappeared from the Thanksgiving table in 5 minutes--even the 12 year olds loved it. I didn't have time for prepping the "extra" seasonings at the end and it was still fine. Next time will have them sitting and waiting in a glass jar, ready to go in. Also, didn't have the cinnamon stick so I used about a tsp of powder and I think I kind of liked the separate bursts of cinnamon rather than a uniform flavoring. Warning: the brandy evaporated FAST as the pan was too (?) hot

To die for. The only recommendation I would make is to cut the cider vinegar by 25 - 50% so that it doesn't mask the delicious flavor of the shallot / cinnamon / brandy mixture.

This is a nice weeknight dish. We skip the chestnuts as a rule and feel the dish doesn't suffer for it, we also generally use cooking sherry just because it's what we tend to have on hand. It's tasty with some hearty bread.

apple cider vinegar not really a great taste

I am planning to make this weekend. Just wondering if ok to use butter instead of oil for the shallots?