Fried Sweet Plantains

(from Tyler Florence's recipe on FoodNetwork.com)

Well, fry me in butter and sugar, and call me hooked on plantains! This recipe is a doozy when it comes to fat content, but mmm, oh-so good. The sauce was just perfect. I mean, I guess you can't really miss with brown sugar and butter. The cinnamon was really nice, too. And they are simple and quick. We had them as a side, but I think they'd make a good dessert or accompaniment to breakfast.

Next time, I'd cook them a little longer than the original recipe called for (I've made that adjustment below). Also, I'd love to try a version cooked in ramekins in the oven - you'd slice up the plantains, mix them with brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, put maybe 1 tbsp. of butter in each ramekin (1/2 tbsp on top, 1/2 on bottom?), then bake them up for a few minutes and have 'em for breakfast. Whaddya think?

But here's how I did it this time:

3 ripe, black plantains
5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
2 tbsp brown sugar

To peel the plantains: first, cut off ends and discard. Then, with a paring knife, make 3 shallow slits lengthwise along the seams of the skin and peel away. Cut the plantains in half lengthwise.

Heat 4 tbsp of the butter in a large skillet and place over medium-low heat. Fry the plantains in a single layer, until golden on the bottom, then flip with a spatula. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and let cook a couple more minutes, until the sugar begins to caramelize and the other side of the plantain has started to turn golden.

Just before serving, melt remaining tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce. Serve immediately.

Maple Candied Bacon and Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs

(from Claire Robinson's 5 Ingredient Fix)

Confession: I made this a long time ago. For New Year's Eve breakfast, actually - so in fact, this was the first thing I cooked in 2011. Whaddya know! Joef got me this cookbook for Christmas, and it's got a lot of good stuff in it, including this. This is actually two recipes - the bacon and the hash. The bacon is fabulous. The hash - she recommended it "deconstructed" - but I thought it tasted better mixed together. Also, if anyone can help me figure out how to make the sweet potatoes crunchy on the outside instead of soft/mushy, please share!

DECONSTRUCTED SWEET POTATO HASH (with Fried Eggs)
1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
12 fresh sage leaves, divided
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup water, plus more as needed
2 sweet onions, chopped (Vidalia work)
(Fried eggs)

Melt 4 tbsp of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sage leaves and fry until crisp. Transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain.

Add the sweet potatoes to the skilled, toss to coat in the butter, then add the water and the rest of the sage (maybe this is the part where it gets mushy? I wonder if you could just boil the potatoes in water until they just slightly softened, then fry them up and skip this whole water part.) Bring the water to a simmer and cook the potatoes until the water evaporates and the potatoes are fork-tended. Remove any excess water and reserve. Keep cooking the potatoes until crusty brown (that's the part that never happened for me). Add more water or the reserved liquid if the potatoes stick.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, adding water if the pan gets dry, until deep golden brown and caramelized. This will take about 20 minutes. You can fry the eggs in this pan, too.

Put potatoes and onions next to each other on a plate and top with a fried egg. Or, mix the onions and potatoes together.

MAPLE CANDIED BACON
1 lb thick-sliced bacon
1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy foil. Place a baking rack over the sheet and arrange the bacon slices across the rack next to each other.

In a small bowl, whisk the syrup and mustard. Spoon over the bacon and bake about 12-15 minutes. Turn the bacon over and repeat. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until crispy. (Alt: dip each slice of bacon in the mixture, let drip, then bake.)

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle bacon with a little ground pepper, if you want. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then serve with your hash and eggs.