Thursday, August 31, 2006

Sweet and Savory Plantain Chips


Plantains always beckon to me in the grocery store. They're just exotic enough to have appeal, but with a soothingly familiar banana-like appearance. The Human Vacuum isn't a big fan of this recipe, but I find it addictive. The key is to use a heavy hand with the salt. I prefer plain old kosher salt, but if you want to try fancy, chunky salt, go right ahead. For some reason, I often wind up serving these with fish. I put an attractive and reasonable size mound on my plate, and the eat the rest out of the serving bowl--compulsively--during the end-of-dinner conversation.

***
Plantain Chips

Peel and cut into thin coins:
2 yellow/black plantains
The easiest way to peel plantains is to cut off the ends with a small, sharp knife, then score the flesh all the way down the length in two places and force the peel off. The blacker the skin, the easier it will be to remove. If the plantains are very unripe, you may have to peel them like an apple, cutting the skin from the flesh all the way around. For this recipe, very ripe plantains are best, to get the most sweetness possible.

In a large skillet, heat:
4 Tablespoons peanut oil

Fry the plantains in batches, cooking each batch until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes. Dust heavily with:
Salt

Eat as hot as possible, without actually burning your face off.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Plantains are my top favorites! I didn't know you can fry it in peanut oil! I'm going to try it next! Thanks!

Paz