This oven roasted nuts recipe has loads of flavor from the fragrant oil that results from frying the sage, rosemary and garlic. An elegant cocktail snack that's ready in minutes!
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If you know me at all, you know I love a nibble. And when that nibble comes with infused oil, herbs and most of all—crispy garlic—I am all in.
These roasted nuts are classy enough for a cocktail party and quick enough for Friday night movie snacks. You can use any variety of mixed nuts you like. Create your own mix, or buy them already mixed up.
Nuts are nature's bounty, so you kinda don't have to feel bad about this all-natural snack. And they're so pretty!
What temperature is best for roasting nuts?
350 degrees F is a nice, gentle temperature that will coax the oils and roasty-toasty flavor out of your nuts without burning them. They don't need very long in the oven, usually 6-10 minutes, depending upon the type of nut.
Oven Roasted Nuts with Rosemary, Sage, and Crispy Garlic
Adapted from Justin Chapple in Food & Wine.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Spread the nuts out evenly on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for about 8 minutes, just until fragrant.
While the nuts are roasting, use a good chef's knife and slice the garlic cloves thinly.
Remove the rosemary fronds from the stems, and measure out your sage leaves.
Heat ¼ inch of oil in a large skillet. Once it is shimmering, add the garlic slices. Let them sizzle until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel with a slotted spoon to drain.
Disclosure: I am a member of the Lodge Blogger Network and the carbon steel skillet pictured here was provided to me free of charge. All opinions are my own.
Next, add rosemary to the oil and fry until crisp, 30 - 60 seconds, and transfer to the paper towel.
Then add sage to the oil and fry 30 - 60 seconds until the leaves are crisp and have mostly stopped bubbling, and transfer to the paper towel. I recommend doing the sage in a couple of batches to ensure that they are crispy.
Season the herbs and garlic with a bit of sea salt while still warm.
Tips for frying herbs:
- Make sure they are dry. Any moisture on the leaves will pop up out of the pan and you are in danger of burning yourself.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. Even when dry, the herbs have a lot of moisture, so they are going to sizzle a lot. They need room to fry up and get crispy.
Drain off all but about 1 ½ tablespoons of the oil. (Save the rest of this oil for salad dressings and roasting vegetables. Don't waste all that good flavor!)
Put the nuts into the skillet over medium heat with the remaining oil and toss to coat. Cook until the nuts are coated with the fragrant oil and warmed through. Remove from heat, add in the herbs and garlic, and season with some good sea salt such as Maldon. Serve immediately.
Tips for making this roasted nuts recipe:
- Don't crowd the herbs when frying. They have a lot of moisture and will bubble up a lot! Do them in a couple of batches so you don't get burned and so the herbs get nice and crispy.
- Save the leftover olive oil! This is now an amazingly flavored infused oil that you won't want to waste. Make a salad dressing, use it to roast some butternut squash, drizzle it onto toasted bread.
- You can make these nuts up to 5 days ahead. Store in an airtight container.
More recipes for cocktail party snacks
- Radishes with Radish Leaf Butter
- Parmesan-Rosemary Gougères with Goat Cheese Filling
- Paprika Potato Chips
Oven Roasted Nuts with Rosemary, Sage, and Crispy Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw mixed nuts
- ½ cup olive oil
- 6 sprigs rosemary
- ½ cup sage leaves lightly packed
- 8 cloves garlic
- sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the nuts out evenly on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for about 8 minutes, just until fragrant.
- While the nuts are roasting, use a good chef's knife and slice the garlic cloves thinly. Remove the rosemary fronds from the stems, and measure out your sage leaves.
- Heat ¼ inch of oil over medium heat in a deep skillet. Once it is shimmering, add the garlic slices. Let them sizzle until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel with a slotted spoon to drain.
- Next, add rosemary to the oil and fry until crisp, 30 to 60 seconds, and transfer to the paper towel.
- Then add sage to the oil and fry 30 - 60 seconds, until the leaves are crisp and have mostly stopped bubbling, and transfer to the paper towel. I recommend doing the sage in a couple of batches to ensure that they are crispy. Season the fried herbs with a little sea salt while they are still warm.
- Drain off all but about 1 ½ tablespoons of the oil. (Save the rest of this oil for salad dressings and roasting vegetables.) Put the nuts into the skillet with the oil over medium heat and toss to coat. Cook until the nuts are coated with the fragrant oil and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the herbs and garlic, and season with some good sea salt such as Maldon. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I've said ½ cup of olive oil here, but the exact measurement may be different depending on the pan you use. You want about ¼ inch of oil in the pan for it to be deep enough to handle frying the herbs and garlic without burning them. I used my Lodge 12-inch carbon steel skillet.
- Don't crowd the herbs when frying. They have a lot of moisture and will bubble up a lot! Do them in a couple of batches so you don't get burned and so the herbs get nice and crispy.
- Save the leftover olive oil! This is now an amazingly flavored infused oil that you won't want to waste. Make a salad dressing, use it to roast some butternut squash, drizzle it onto toasted bread.
- You can make these nuts up to 5 days ahead. Store in an airtight container.
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