Let me first start by saying these Yucca Fries are incredible and once you start making them you might not look at french fries the same
And I am not trying to knock down French Fries who doesn’t love French Fries right? I grew up eating them but not homemade by any means. McDonalds for special treats (I liked dipping them in Sweet and Sour Sauce) and the frozen bag of McCain, crinkle was the best. And I still like frozen french fries and I know you do too. Thick cut seasoned wedges or the often created but never duplicated Tater Tots. Seriously, how do they makes those so delicious. That is just one of those recipes I am not even going to try and duplicate
After spending so much time in the Caribbean and South America I really fell in love with Yucca. Maybe your thinking … What exactly is Yucca?
First there are more than a few names for this delicious treat. The most common that I have heard have been Yucca, Cassava and Manioc but this can vary depending on the where you live. There are also different names for ones that are sweeter and ones that are younger and so on and so on.
Yucca is also one of those unique foods that is poisonous and will kill you if you eat a certain part of it or if it is prepared incorrectly. You might think “What, Gasp” why would I eat that but you eat Rhubarb don’t you? Well that is another example of a food that could kill you. Eat the stems and it is delicious goodness, eat the leaves and your on your way to the hospital. So what is poisons on the yucca, there are two. The first is the super woody exterior which you have to peel before you eat. And don’t worry there is no mistaking the outside as edible it would be like gnawing on extra hard bark. The second dangerous part is if the yucca itself is undercooked. So its really not so dangerous after all ..
Take the “bark” off, cook it through … Thats is now you have sweet sweet deliciousness
Easy Peasy
There is also one main huge reason why I love these more than french fries besides the taste and that is how much more simple they are to make. NO DOUBLE FRYING. You are not going to mess these up. Just fry and once they are golden they are done, crispy and not soggy.
Like Ina Garden always says “How Easy is that.”
So, to recap these Yucca fries are …
- Super Crispy
- Easy
- Delicious
- An excuse to eat Mayo 😉
- Full of vitamins
- Crunchy
And don’t be afraid of the Yucca if you have never cooked with it before. Its a big root with a super hard skin over top and it can look very intimidating but it is defiantly delicious and well worth the work
Hope you Enjoy
- 1 Med. Sized Yucca / Cassava (About 9 inches)
- Vegetable Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Mayo
- Zest of 1 Lime Zest
- Cut the ends off of the yucca and then cut into thirds. Make a shallow slit down the yucca, just enough to cot through the skin, and place your knife under the skin. Start to peel as if you were peeing the skin off a cucumber
- Once the skin is removed, cut each yucca piece into 6 pieces. Don’t worry if they are not all the same
- Place a medium pot of salted water over high heat and once it comes to a boil add the yucca and lower slightly so the water doesn’t boil over. Cook the yucca until its cooked through and easily pierced with a fork. Drain the yucca and lay it on a baking tray or plates lines with paper towels to dry.
- Get a large cast iron such as Le Creuset and fill it about 3 inches thick with vegetable oil. Once it reaches 370 degrees fry the yucca in batches until golden brown, around 3-4 minutes. Drain each batch on paper towels and season immediately with salt, pepper and lime zest
- Serve yucca fries with mayo or other dipping sauce
- Enjoy!
Send some DHL tonight please!