This may be the easiest restaurant-quality side dish you’ll ever make. It’s almost not even a recipe. It’s a command to get yourself some plantains and fry those beasts. If you can’t do these, then it’s time to pack up the tongs and fill your oven with candy and takeout menus.

Plantains are pretty amazing – they start out starchy, and fry up like a rich hybrid potato chip/french fry. Let them get a bit yellow and you can make a nice mash with meat and stock. Stifle your girlish queasiness and take it all the way to a black husk and you’ve got the makings of a sweet, substantial side that the Cubans call “Maduros.” That’s what we’re doing today. So buy a few plantains and let them turn all the way black on your counter. You’ll be able to find them at most any grocery in Chicago.

The Setup

- 3 plantains, matured until the skin turns black.
- 2 c (1 pint) of vegetable oil
- Thick-grained sea salt

Cooking

1. Peel the plantain, discard the husk, and cut plantains into 2″ chunks, making the cuts at a 45 degree angle.

2. Heat the oil over a high medium/low medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. There should be enough oil to almost cover your plantains, so either eye it or test the depth with one of your plantain chunks.

3. Fry the plantain chunks in batches, flipping with a pair of tongs or chopsticks as they brown – about 2 minutes per side.

4. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or shallow bowl and sprinkle with a bit of the salt.

5. That’s it.

6. Yup, that’s really it.