Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts

ingredients

1
To skin the chestnuts:
2
Make a cut along the flat side of each nut and drop it into a pan of boiling salted water. Let the chestnuts boil for 5 minutes and then take out 2 or 3 at a time (as they have to be peeled hot) and remove both the outer shells and inner skins.
3
Simmer the chestnuts in a pan of fresh, salted water for 10 to 15 minutes until they are tender. Do not overcook or they will fall apart. Remove the chestnuts from the water, drain, set aside and keep warm.
4
Remove any damaged outer leaves from the sprouts, trim the stalks, and cut a small cross at the bottom of each stalk. Wash and soak them in cold water for 10 minutes. Cook them in a small amount of boiling salted water for 6 to 8 minutes and then drain.
5
Return the sprouts to the pan, add the chestnuts, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the butter.
6
Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm until ready to serve. If you are preparing the dish ahead of time, wait until you are almost ready to serve before adding the margarine.