Tostones are twice-fried plantain slices, and they are quite easy to make using three ingredients—green plantains, fat, and salt. Simply shallow-fry sliced green (unripe) plantains, remove from the skillet, smash flat, and return to the skillet for one more round. The plantain absorbs quite a bit of fat, which is why they are so delicious, and why choosing a quality fat makes a difference. Duck fat is a family favorite. It’s important to know up front that exact skillet temperature, thickness of plantain slices, and how ripe the plantain is will affect how much fat you need. To achieve the goal of keeping the tostones to a more golden color, cook them a bit more slowly. It yields a perfect crisp-but-not-crunchy texture which is superior compared to more browned tostones.
Featured Ingredients
When taking into account resistant starch, green plantains are a top food source of fiber, which serves as food for our gut microbiome. Per 1-cup serving, they also deliver at least 10% or more of the daily value of 12 other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Olive oil is consistently linked with health benefits, including reducing cardiovascular disease risk (both heart disease and stroke), Alzheimer’s risk, and cancer risk, improving blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity, reducing likelihood of weight gain (and maybe even aid in weight loss), reducing joint pain and swelling in rheumatoid arthritis, and generally reduce markers of inflammation.
Tostones
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains
- 1/2 cup olive oil (or fat of choice)
- salt
Instructions
- Peel green plantains by slicing just through the peel (not the fruit) lengthwise, from tip to tip, then prying off the peel with your thumbs. Sometimes it’s easier to peel if you make more than one slice down the length of the plantain.
- Slice the peeled plantain at an angle into 1″ thick slices.
- Meanwhile, preheat a large stainless steel skillet on the stovetop over medium heat (skip this step if using a gas stove).
- Add most of the oil to the hot skillet (reserving some), then arrange the plantain slices in the skillet in one layer (if your skillet is too small to fit all of them at once, cook in batches).
- Fry the plantain for two to three minutes on each side until they are golden in color. Flip a few times as opposed to once to make sure they don’t get too brown. f they’re browning too quickly, reduce the heat. Maintain at least an eighth of an inch of fat in the bottom of the pan to prevent the plantain from sticking; add more fat as needed.
- Remove the plantain slices from the skillet with tongs or a slotted spoon. Traditionally, they are pounded flat with a hinged utensil made for the task, called a tostonera, but any kitchen utensil (bowl, cup, plate etc.) that has a large enough flat surface will do the trick. I flatten mine on a cutting board with my 4-cup measuring cup then peel the mashed plantain off the bottom of the measuring cup with a spatula directly into the hot skillet again.
- Fry the plantain slices a second time, this time about one minute per side until crisp and golden brown, adding additional duck fat as needed to maintain about an eighth of an inch of fat in the bottom of the pan. You’ll almost certainly have to do this in two or even three batches, unless you own the world’s biggest skillet.
- Remove tostones from the skillet and place on a serving plate or cutting board lined with paper towel to drain any excess fat. Sprinkle liberally with salt while still warm. Serve immediately. Tostones are best enjoyed right when you make them.
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