Mashed Mofongo

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8 Servings

In my opinion, Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes — and no Thanksgiving meal is complete without some sort of potato or starch. But even though I love potatoes (after all, I’m from Latin America, the birthplace of the potato), sometimes I’m bored by the singular texture of mashed potatoes. Cue: my mashed mofongo.

Ingredients

2 pounds medium Yukon Gold or Honey Gold potatoes (about 5)
4 to 6 cups neutral oil, for deep frying
3 ripe plantains (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
4 to 5 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
4 ounces pork rinds or cracklings
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Place 2 pounds medium Yukon or Honey Gold potatoes (peel first if desired) in a medium pot and add enough cold water to cover by about 1-inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the plantains and prepare the cream mixture.
Peel 3 plantains and cut crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds. Heat 4 to 6 cups neutral oil in a large saucepan (enough to go about 2 inches up the sides of the pan) over medium-high heat until 350ºF. Add half of the plantains and fry until golden-brown and soft or fork tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat frying the remaining plantains.
Finely chop 4 to 5 garlic cloves until you have 2 tablespoons. Add 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of the garlic to a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt and cook over medium-heat until warmed through, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat.
When the potatoes are ready, drain. Return to the pot, add the cream mixture, and mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth.
Heat 2 teaspoons of the plantain frying oil in a small frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl. Working in batches, add the plantains and mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth. (Alternatively, mash the plantains in batches in a mortar and pestle and then transfer to the bowl of garlic oil.) Stir to combine.
Crush 4 ounces pork rinds with your hands into rough pieces, add most of it to the plantains, and mix until combined.
Transfer the plantain mixture to the potato mixture, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and mix until combined. Taste and season as needed with more kosher salt and black pepper. Garnish with the remaining pork rinds or chopped cilantro.