Baked Plantain Chips & Guac

Whenever I am in need of some cooking inspiration, a visit to a new restaurant or at the very least, studying the menu, usually does the trick. So, no, I can't claim to be the mastermind behind this tasty snack - truth be told, even vending machines these days boast their own (far less fresh) versions of plantain chips. 

I first really started to enjoy plantains after a trip to Costa Rica on a self-declared  spring break during my first year of working in the real world. Often times for lunch or dinner, I would order a dish called "Casado", which included rice, beans, sweet plantains, meat, and veggies - quite a meal packed on a plate! Anyhow, sweet plantains are delicious, but interestingly enough require using overripe (yellow or black) plantains, as opposed to the underripe (green) plantains used for making chips.

I have included some loose guidelines below in the quest to execute the recipe to perfection! There is no exact science to making the chips and guac so get in there and taste test as you go. 

The "Recipe"... if you can call it that
Green Plantains, peeled and thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt (Jane's Crazy Salt if you can get your hands on it)
Pepper
Seasonings: I used - Cumin, Paprika, Garlic powder, Cayenne (I would warn against being too heavy handed on this one)

Guacamole:
2-3 medium RIPE avocados, reserve at least one pit
1/2 lime
2 cloves garlic (use more if you wish!)
salt (about 1 tsp as a starting point)
pepper (about 1 tsp as a starting point)
cumin (about 1/2 tsp is a good starting point)
red pepper flakes (depends how much kick you want, try starting with 1/4 tsp)

1/2 tomato, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice off the skin of the plantain (peeling does not work particularly well). Then I would recommend cutting in half horizontally so you can stand the plantain up and ultimately have a better shot at achieving the desired thing slices. 

Toss the thinly sliced plantains in some olive oil and desired seasonings then placed on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes to start (might require more time to crisp depending on how thin the slices are), remove from oven and turn over, return to oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. If this doesn't achieve a desired crispy-ness, continue baking for additional time. 

While the chips are baking, begin on the guac by slicing each avocado in half vertically and scooping out the avocado (reserve one pit). Add the juice of half a lime and then mash into the desired consistency. Mix in garlic and spices, then fold in  tomato and onion. Taste test and add additional spices as necessary.

If by chance you find yourself with leftover guac, use the reserved pit to store and prevent the guac from browning.