Baked Tostones - **can be used as chips, tostada shell or bun**

I have been on a mission to create the best baked tostone, and use it in place of bread on warmed sandwiches or as a tostada shell for tacos or eggs.  One of my favorite restaurants in San Rafael called Sol - Does Puerto Rican food that is simply superb in my opinion.   They have a delicious Cuban sandwhich which I now eat sans cheese & mayo between two baked tostones, instead of bread.  It's divine!  Monday night was our first go at making the tostones as a tostada for turkey tacos and they turned out tasty!  Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Baked Tostone Ingredients:
3 Green Plantains - Peeled & Diced into 1 1/2 Inch Slices
2-3c- Homemade Chicken Stock or Homemade Veggie Broth or Filtered Water
1T - Chili Powder
1T - Smoked Paprika
1t - Celtic Sea Salt
1T - Rendered Duck Fat (Can use Palm Oil in this place to make it vegetarian or vegan)

Directions:

• Pour stock into medium stock pot, add chili powder, smoked paprika, sea salt and rendered duck fat
• Stir, Turn to medium heat and bring to a boil covered
• Peel & Slice Plantains into 1-1 1/2 inch slices

• Turn Oven onto 400F
• Once a rolling boil has begun add your sliced plantains

• Cook over medium heat stirring every so often for 10-15 min - You want the plantains to start getting soft so they are easily mashable (is this a word?! anyway..) to make into the shape of a tostada shell before baking in the oven.
• Drain the plantains
• If you have a tostonera you can mash one or two together to make your smaller tostada shell or chips. If you don't have one follow the below steps.
• Put plantain slices n groups of 3-4 on a large cutting board & cover with plastic wrap
• Use a meat tenderizer - but on the flat side to lightly mash them into the perfect circle and thickness for your tostada like shell. 
• Peel off the plastic wrap and use a wood or rubber spatula to move onto your non stick cookie sheet & sprinkle with a Celtic sea salt & paprika before putting into the oven

• Place into Oven and Bake for 10-12 min and flip and repeat for an additional 10-12 min.
• They should turn out lightly brown when they are done.  They vary in texture - with some being more crunchy if you made them super thin or chewier if you make them a bit thicker.  I like them both ways.

• Enjoy w/ your meal of choice! 

 They are easily used to replace tortilla chips - and go great with homemade guacamole & salsa.

We made ours into tostada shells last night and ate them with turkey tacos as shown in the photos below.  So tasty!