Chestnuts roasted into a meal desired

If you saw our previous post about chestnuts you know that I collected over three pounds of them from a couple of trees at my place of work. (SEE POST)  Since that post I have collected an additional three pounds +.  The current tally is 6 lbs 4 oz. of chestnuts.  So, what do you do with chestnuts?  Well you roast them of course.  We did not have the set up for an open fire, but the oven worked as a pretty good substitute.  We baked them at 400 F for 30 minutes.  To prevent the nut from exploding in the oven, the shell must be scored to allow steam to escape.  After baking, the nut itself softens and is very starchy.  The taste is very similar to potato, but slightly sweeter and with a firmer texture.  We made a casserole from the following ingredients (AKA a "hot-dish" for you Minnesota folks):

Pre-roasted chestnuts

Chestnuts:  We used about 1 1/2 cups of roasted and shelled chestnuts.

Mushrooms:  We used about 4 cups of Hen of the Woods (HOTW) mushrooms that we had collected earlier in the day. See Post  HOTW was sauteed with onion, green and red bell pepper and garlic.

Cheese:  We used a combination of cheese ends from our local market deli.  Mostly swiss cheese.

Tomatoes:  Cherry tomatoes were thrown in there from our garden.

Add chestnuts and sauteed mushrooms to a baking dish.  Sprinkle shredded cheese or cheese pieces over the top.

Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.

This is probably one of the best casseroles we have had in a long while.  Completely vegetarian and very versatile.  The flavors blended together perfectly and the texture was perfect.

Finished meal with casserole, pear sauce and watermelon.  The majority of the food on the plate is homegrown or foraged making this meal cost only a few pennies.