Peppered Mixed Nuts with lemon & capers

Christmas munchies.
New Years munchies.
Movie munchies.
That's what these are.

You start off with some capers which you fry up to make 'em crispy.

Then you head over to your unsalted nuts (trust me, there's plenty o' salt in the capers) and you roast them with some good stuff like pepper and lemon juice to make 'em crunchy.

Then you toss it all together with some lemon zest to make 'em zesty.

Crispy. Crunchy. Zesty. Enough said.

Peppered Mixed Nuts (w/ lemon & capers)

Makes about 9 cups

Source: 2006 'Martha Stewart Holiday' Special Issue

3 cups capers, drained and rinsed

1 quart canola oil

6 cups mixed nuts, unsalted

2 tbsps fresh lemon juice

2 tsps freshly ground pepper

2 tbsps finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place capers on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Let dry completely, about 1 hour.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan until it registers 350°F on a deep fry thermometer. Carefully add ¼ cup capers and fry, stirring until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the capers to another paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Adjust heat as necessary to maintain oil temperature, continue cooking capers in ¼cup batches until all capers have been fried. Reserve 2 tbsps of oil and discard the rest.

3. In a bowl, toss nuts with reserved oil, lemon juice and pepper. Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon zest; toss with fried capers. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.