They are a mainstay of the Dominican and Cuban and Puerto Rican diets.
Plaintains are the only food that will be hapopily eated threetimes a day, each one a different flavor.

Plaintains are large green, yellow, speckeled, or nearly black, cousins to the banana. (Depending on their ripeness)

Well the green ones are used for 'tos-tones',
they are peeled, chopped into two inch chunks, fried in medium hot oil until yellow and sort of toasty hard on the outside.
Taken out. Squashed. Tossed into icey cold , salted water for a second, they are then re fried in hot-hot oil (be careful of the splatter) until hard and crispy....but soft inside...They can be over fried.

Taken out, placed on a paper towel, lightly salted...ummmm! GOOD!

The green ones can also be sliced very thinly on a mandolin and deep fried like potato chips--just one pass thru the oil...

HB, the COOK