Weekend Recipe: Rosemary-Garlic Pecans

It’s the preseason, which means you should be polishing up on your sporty snacks to get ready for the real thing. These mighty munchables are from Debbie Moose’s Fan Fare: A Playbook of Great Recipes for Tailgating or Watching the Game at Home, a book packed with football fan favorites (or soon to be favorites). These savory pecans provide a perfect first play on your buffet. Debbie also provides an “Extra Point,” which will help a ton with planning purposes: “You can make these up to one week in advance.”

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups pecan halves or whole almonds

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

2. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in the rosemary, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Place the pecans in a large bowl, then pour the butter mixture over the pecans and toss to coat the nuts thoroughly.

3. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed nonstick baking sheet (or coat a regular baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray). Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times, until the pecans are crisp and fragrant but not dark.

4. Let the nuts cool completely on the baking sheet, then store in an airtight container.

--A.J. Rathbun