• Select the largest plantains you can find: a good plantain should be significantly bigger than a typical banana.
• Let them ripen on the counter until they are yellow and black.
• Peel and slice them thick and at an angle (this makes each slice bigger)
• Heat your choice of cooking oil in a skillet (medium-high heat using a coconut or vegetable oil is typical).
• Cook on one side, flip and cook on the other side. Should be a little browned and crispy.
• Remove and let dry on a rack or paper.
• Salt and serve with a crema or sour crème-like product. (Natilla is the crema I use, but it is not sold in the USA.)

Fried ripe plantains are a favorite staple and part of traditional breakfasts in Costa Rica. If you have ever visited Costa Rica you will be familiar with this traditional dish: Gallo Pinto (mixed beans and rice), served with a huevo frito o picato (fried or scrambled eggs, y maduro con natilla. This savory and sweet delicacy is both a hometown staple and my favorite breakfast! As soon as I arrive in the country to visit my family it is the first thing (and the last thing I eat).  Even if it is not breakfast time.