I’d managed to pull together . . .
Some “normal” snacks for the sweet college student that had come to watch my little ones – cheese and crackers, chicken nuggets with ranch dressing and whatnot – but then I saw it.
It was right there on the counter, bubbling away with golden, gut healing goodness. You could almost have mistaken my slow cooker chicken broth for soup, except um, a chicken foot was visible.
Cover = BLOWN. I can’t hide my weird foodie ways. Fortunately, Operation Couple Time is currently overseen by a craft-and-storytime-ninja who loves food as much as I do. Her family comes from Brazil, so when she discovered that I had yucca in my freezer, she immediately shared this recipe with me.
It’s so simple and we absolutely love it. The fries are crispy on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside. They’re delicious simply sprinkled with salt and then dunked in your favorite sauce, or you can add some smoked paprika and garlic powder for a rich, earthly flavor.
Oh, and if you or someone you love is avoiding nightshades – good news! Sometimes referred to as cassava root, yucca is not a nightshade – it’s a starchy root that grows in temperate climates. Pair it with something like ranch or homemade mayo instead of ketchup and you’re good to go.
Yuca Fries Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ lb frozen yucca
- coconut oil (for frying)
- unrefined sea salt
Instructions
- Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil.
- Add in a pinch of salt and ½ pound peeled, frozen yucca. This is what it will look like before you put it in.
- Remove yucca when a fork can be easily inserted and removed – how long this takes depends on how thick the yucca root is. Place yucca on a plate or cutting board.
- In the center of the yucca is a stringy stem that is too tough to chew. Remove it and cut the yucca in to french fry strips that are about 1/4 inch wide.
- Fry in 1/4 inch coconut oil over medium heat until golden brown.
I love Yucca fries–well at least I love them when I go out to a restaurant. I’m going to try these! Surprisingly they do have nutritional value too!
These look great and sound interesting! I am loving root chip type things right now, so I will definitely try these out as soon as I find some yucca.
Thanks for sharing, I’ll definitely need to give this a shot! Btw, Ive been reading your posts on my phone but finally came to visit on my new laptop and I’m SO in love with your new layout, it’s gorgeous. Well wishes!
Amazing! I am from Brazil as well and grew up eating those! I make a creamy soup with them, boil them and put butter on top, use them in stews instead of potatoes and much more!
Quick question, can we use avocado oil to fry?
Regards,
Diana
Yes, you could 🙂
Thank you!
Also, in Brazil we have a dish called “farofa”, it’s made with yuca flour, bacon, butter, and sometimes chicken giblets. Would you consider this an ok food? Sorry, I am new to this and I love “farofa”!
O man, I eat these at a restaurant near me and am addicted! Now I will try them on my own. 🙂
I’ve been making yucca fries for a couple of years now. My family loves them! I roll mine in bacon grease then place on a cookie sheet, add salt and pepper. Bake in oven on 400 for 20 minutes, flip and bake another 20 minutes. Delicious!
What other than coconut oil can I use, My son and husband doesn’t like coconut?
So you boil them frozen, or must you defrost first?
Frozen 🙂