Herb baked sweet potatoes and sweet fried ripe plantains.
DINNER INVITATION
Getting invited over for dinner gets me super excited….I call dips on apps! Yes , not just the bounty from the host but also what we get to take along. Our wonderful neighbors, bless their hearts invited us for and we couldn’t wait to join them. We always have an amazing time with them.
See this bounty? That’s from my neighbors garden last year. He basically fed the whole neighborhood.
His decision to not have a garden this year broke my heart. Little did I know “No garden” means
“take a look at my asparagus garden”. Am I the only one who didn’t know what an asparagus plant looks like?
I have a few tomato plants, there are some watermelons , cucumbers, okra……”
I’m guessing no garden means, thriving garden! I am definitely not complaining. We get to enjoy another summer of great produce.
WHAT’S COOKING?
So, back to the appetizers. We wanted…
Something simple,
Something African,
and downright delicious.
Can we ever go wrong with plantains? Or sweet potatoes? I don’t think so. I call these African sweet potatoes because they are just like what we have back home. They are also Caribbean or Japanese sweet potatoes. One of my most loved starter course paired here with a spicy pepper sauce.
A platter like this will definitely keep your guess returning for more.
This simple sauce brings everything together. “Planty and pepper” like we say. So simple , sometimes I make a batch and refrigerate for about a week or more. You can go as spicy as you want. Some sweet onions, peppers and fresh herbs. Its that easy. You’ll find yourself enjoying the sauce with a lot more .
Plantains are so versatile. You can season them up however you want prior to frying! Here I used Essiespice Mekko Dry Rub. Other options include, ginger , garlic, paprika, onion powder ad so much more. Endless options. A plantain dish of some sort always makes it to the dinner table when I have friends coming over. You can never go wrong with sweet fried ripe plantains. Try this one, and don’t forget to share what you’re cooking from the afrovitalityeats kitchen.
HERB BAKED SWEET POTATOES AND PLANTAINS
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 Tbsp packed minced parsley
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp Basil Olive oil
- a pinch of salt
Plantains
- 3 large ripe plantains
- 1 Tbsp essie spice mekko dry rub
- 2 pinches of kosher salt
Pepper sauce
- 2 small scotch bonnet peppers (or habanero-more for a hotter sauce)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs Of parsley
- 1 small green onion
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion
Instructions
potatoes
- Preheat oven to 375
- Wash, peel and cut potatoes into wedges. Set into a cool water bath to prevent browning. Once done, drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Transfer into a bowl large enough to toss. Add in olive oil, parsley, garlic, salt and toss. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Flip wedges about 15 minutes into baking. Serve immediately with sauce
Plantains
- Wash peel and slice plantains as shown.Combine with mekko dry rub into a large bowl and toss well.
- Heat oil to about 360-375 degrees. Fry plantains until golden brown. Transfer unto a paper towel to drain excess oil. You can toss with more of the dry rub after frying. Garnish with fresh parsley and Serve with pepper sauce.
Pepper Sauce
- Blend all ingredients with about 3/4 cup of water and transfer to a sauce pot
- Bring to a a gentle simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until contents reduce into a thick sauce. Add olive oil and fry for about 3-5 minutes. Season to taste and enjoy with plantains and sweet potatoes
Notes
You want your plantains to look like this and soft to the touch ( not mushy) When fried, you get that nice surface crisp with each bite.
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