Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Raclette

I had some chestnuts leftover from the some soup I made a couple of weeks ago and thought that this brussels recipe was a perfect side dish. I ate it with some merguez sausages I bought in France, which were disappointingly not very spicy. Either I was a wuss as a kid, I always thought merguez were the spiciest things ever, or these were really unspicy for merguez, they were lovely and full of paprika but not spicy at all, very disappointing. They did go really well with this side dish though adding another layer of flavour.

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Raclette (adapted from Bon Appetit)
(Serves 4)

200g box vacuum packed roast chestnuts, halved

5 sprigs thyme

1 sprig rosemary

3 garlic cloves

pinch of crushed chilli flakes

450g brussels sprouts, stemmed, quartered

salt

100g raclette cheese, grated or sliced

 

Pre-heat the grill. Cook the brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until tender on the outside but still crunchy on the inside, about 2 mins; drain.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat; add the brussels sprouts, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chilli flakes and cook until tender and browned, 6–8 mins.

Add the chestnuts to brussels sprouts; season to taste with salt and remove the parsley and thyme and transfer to a shallow baking dish. Lay the raclette over the Brussels and chestnuts. Grill until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 4–5 mins.