Mashed Mofongo
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)
- 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.

