Canoas de Plátano con Tocino y Queso (South American Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Plantains)

Preheat oven on 180°C or 356ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to help with cleanup later.

Peel ripe plantains. Rub each with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake plantains for 20–25 minutes, then turn them over. They should be soft and light brown on one side. You can brush them with a little bit more oil if you think they are getting too dry, but I’ve never had to. Bake for another 15–20 minutes until other side is golden brown as well.

While plantains are in the oven, prepare bacon. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Chop bacon into small pieces and place in hot pan. Cook until crispy. Turn off heat and set aside. (You can also do this ahead of time.)

Remove plantains from oven. With a sharp knife, make a slit lengthwise, down the centre of each plantain. Fill the centre with mozzarella.

Return stuffed plantains to oven and bake for 3–5 more minutes until cheese melts. Turn off oven and top stuffed plantains with bacon. (You could also put bacon on top of cheese before placing it in the oven to melt the cheese.)

These are best eaten immediately, but you can keep them in the fridge and warm them up in the microwave before serving.