Tostones

So our Puerto Rican Christmas dinner feast didn’t just consist on the Arroz con Gandules that we shared the other day… We also made pernil and started the feast with tostones! I love tostones (and really anything that originates with plantains), but didn’t realize that they’re really fairly simple to prepare. We made ours as a mid-afternoon snack/appetizer, while our dinner was cooking. Tostones beg for a dipping sauce – we made a garlicky-citrus concoction for them this time. Niki suggested a quick mixture of ketchup, mayo, and garlic that we just might have to try next time.

Tostones

Ingredients: 

• 3 plantains (green bananas)
• Oil, for frying
• Salt

Instructions:

1. Pour oil into a large, tall-edged pan until it is ~1 inch deep. Place over medium heat. Goal oil heat is 375 degrees.
2. Peel and then slice the plantains into ~3/4 inch slices. Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes, until then become slightly golden.
3. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to cool briefly.
4. After a minute or two, smash each slice to flatten it. (We used the back of a silicone spatula.)
5. Return the flattened slices to the oil and fry for another ~2 minutes.
6. Remove to the side and sprinkle with salt to taste!

Makes ~25-30 tostones