Tostones (a.k.a. a little Latin heaven)

What can be said for tostones that they don’t say for themselves? Fried, salty, sweet goodness.  These seriously ring a lot of bells.  Let’s just get right to it, but if you want something a little more try a dollop of Pineapple Guacamole on top.  How do you say, “ooh la la” in Spanish?

Tostones (Fried Plantains)

Servings: 4-6

Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes

Cook Time: 10-20 Minutes

Ready In: 30 Minutes    

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut oil, divided
• 3 greenish yellow, plantains, peeled and sliced into ½-¾ inch medallions (Note: The darker yellow and brown your plantains the sweeter these will be, also softer which will make them easier to peel and smash.  Very green ones are quite hard. Somewhere in the middle is perfect, but go for it rather than tossing them because they’re too brown!)
• salt to taste

Recipe:
Heat ½ cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Use the rest of the oil as needed to maintain a ½ inch depth.  It is ready when a drop of water sizzles. Place the plantains in the oil and fry on both sides until bright yellow to golden brown; about 2-4 minutes per side depending on the ripeness of your plantains.

Remove the plantains from the pan and lay in a single layer on parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top.  Flatten the plantains by placing a flat-bottomed glass, pan, or plate (whatever floats your boat and you can get some leverage on, I like a clear drinking glass so I can see them smoosh) over the fried plantains and pressing down to smash them to ¼-1/3”.

Return them to the hot oil and fry 1-3 minute on each side, until the edges are browning and crisping. Salt to taste and serve immediately.