TOASTED AND SPICED PEANUTS

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne or red chili pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 1/2 cups fresh Spanish peanuts, shelled, skin on
1 1/2 tablespoons water

In a cup or small bowl, mix together the salt, cayenne and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the peanuts and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the skillet or gently stirring the peanuts with a metal spatula to keep them from burning.

When the peanuts are golden brown, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle on the salt mixture, stirring quickly to distribute it evenly. Drizzle the water over the peanuts. (Don't dump all of the water in at once, and do be careful of sizzling splashes.) Stir or shake very gently until the water is absorbed and the seasonings "set" on the peanuts.

Turn the peanuts out into a bowl and serve warm (the best) or let cool and store in a covered container.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Source: Butter Beans to Blackberries: Recipes from a Southern Garden by Ronni Lundy