Roasted Sweet Plantains and Sweet Potatoes

On the streets of Mexico City, you’ll see big fifty-gallon drums of roasting sweet plantains and potatoes being stoked with wood. Spicy piloncillo syrup is poured over the hot starchy vegetables to coat like a glossy lacquer and then eaten on a stick. Variations of this abound in Caribbean and Mexican neighborhoods in the United States, where plantains are readily available.