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Spicy Roasted Peanuts

Source of Recipe

From "Down South" by Donald Link


Recipe Introduction

"In the late summer, Burris Market in Loxley, Alabama, has locally grown peanuts in every form imaginable: raw in the shell, raw out of the shell, roasted in and out of the shell, and boiled in Cajun spice. Along the rural roadsides, you can find farmers selling bags of boiled peanuts out of the back of their trucks, as well as Styrofoam cups of just-cooked batches, still moist from their salty bath. Hit your turn signal because these are not your ballpark-variety peanuts. Roasting fresh peanuts that have been seasoned with salt and red spices creates an addictive party snack—and the perfect sidekick to ice-cold beer. These cooking instructions are based on small peanuts; for a larger variety you may want to increase the cooking time by an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Watch the coloring closely toward the end—when fully roasted, the peanuts should be lightly tanned but not brown, or they'll taste bitter."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  1 pound fresh, unroasted, peeled small peanuts
â—¦  2 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil
â—¦  2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦  1 tablespoon sugar
â—¦  2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
â—¦  ½ teaspoon paprika
â—¦  ½ teaspoon cayenne


Recipe

Heat the oven to 300° F.

Put the peanuts on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the peanut oil, and toss until evenly coated. Roast, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the nuts are fragrant and lightly tanned (but not brown), about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Toward the end of roasting time, melt the butter in a medium skillet. Add the sugar, salt, paprika, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for a few minutes without browning the butter, to warm the spices. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

When the nuts are done, remove from the heat, cool slightly, and transfer to the bowl. Toss with the butter mixture for at least a minute to ensure that the spices are evenly distributed. Finish with a few pinches of salt (adding more or less to taste). Allow the peanuts to cool completely before serving—freshly roasted peanuts will remain mealy and soft until they are cooled, when they'll regain their crunchy texture.

Makes 1 pound