Baked Cranberry-Walnut Relish

12-16 servings (as a complement to an entrée)

Tip: This is a crunchy, sweet-tart relish that is enjoyable with roast pork, chicken, or savory vegetarian dishes, as well as with your Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing. It keeps very well covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks (if you can leave it alone for that long). Make this in the next couple of weeks to get a jump on your holiday meal prep! Note: I could also see spooning this into a pre-baked single pie crust with a little unsweetened whipped cream on the side or as a topping for cheesecake or even a grilled burger. Don’t you love recipes that are versatile?

Ingredients
24 oz fresh cranberries (two 12-oz bags)
1/2 – 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup orange marmalade (use low-sugar or 0-calorie if preferred)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
juice of 1/2 medium lemon

Prep
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toast walnuts on a baking sheet in preheated oven for 5 minutes; let cool on the pan.
Wash and sort through cranberries, discarding any soft or bruised berries. Place perfect berries in a glass 3-quart baking dish (it’s good to have extra space in the dish as they will bubble up when baking).

Directions
Mix brown sugar into cranberries in the baking dish; cover bowl with foil and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes; stir, cover again and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until all berries have popped.

Remove cranberries from the oven and stir in marmalade and walnuts. Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon into the mixture and stir to blend. Serve warm, at room-temperature or chilled from the refrigerator.