Change Up Your Starches with Yucca!

By
Emma
-

Yucca is a root that is found in many Latin American dishes and is known by other names such as cassava. What is interesting about yucca is that it is actually a root vegetable but can be utilized like a starch such as a potato!

So, if you want a slightly healthier version of your favorite startchy foods, check out yucca.

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Mashed Yucca

To make a version of mashed potato with yucca it couldn’t be easier. First of all, peel the yucca and cut it into squares. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the yucca. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the yucca is soft, and then go in with a fork and mash away! The yucca will be really soft and all you have to do is add some salt and pepper and you have an awesome mash!

Yucca Fries

Start the fries out the same as the mashed yucca, but instead of cutting into squares chop the yucca in long fry shapes. Add them to boiling water for just 5-7 minutes and then drain them and put them on a sheet pan. Cover in oil and salt and bake at 425 F for about 25 minutes or until golden on the outside and tender on the inside.

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Josh from @kitchfix here to change your dipping game with our CAJUN YUCCA SPEARS AND GARLIC AIOLI! . If you haven’t tried yucca before, it’s fantastic! The texture is similar to a potato, but a little heartier. Our chefs worked hard to bring out the best texture we could without frying, which is typically how yucca is prepared. The result? A crispy-yet-soft, delicious, dipping vehicle. 🤤 . Yucca works great for this because of it’s fluffy texture and it takes on the flavor of any spices you use. Our secret is that we first blanch the yucca to extract some of the starch and then dry and roast them in the oven to make them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. . Cajun Yucca Spears Serves 4 . Ingredients: . Cajun Yucca Spears 1, 12’’-16’’ Yucca Root (You can also grab 2 lbs of frozen peeled spears, as long as only ingredient listed is “yucca” on the bag) 1 tsp Cajun seasoning (W30 approved) 2 tsp Sunflower Oil 1 tsp Fresh Parsley 1 gallon Water . Instructions: BOIL water in a large pot, bigger the pot and more water the better! ADD yucca to boiling water & boil for 5-10 mins until they are fork tender, but not falling apart STRAIN yucca, discarding the water, lay out on paper towels to cool slightly ADD sunflower oil and cajun seasoning ROAST in a convection oven at 400F for 10-12 mins SEASON yucca with parsley. Taste and add salt, if necessary. . Garlic Aioli Makes about 1 cup . Ingredients: 1 c Grapeseed oil or Sunflower seed Oil 4 each Fresh Garlic Cloves, sliced 2 tbs White Wine Vinegar 1 tbs Water 1 each Egg Yolk ¼ c EVOO 1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt 2 tsp Fresh Chives, minced . HEAT a few TBS of grapeseed oil in a small pan over med heat ADD fresh sliced garlic to the pan – it should sizzle – if it does, turn the heat off and stir frequently while it cools POUR vinegar, water, egg yolk, & sea salt into a blender PLACE lid on the blender & turn it on to med speed DRIZZLE garlic infused grapeseed oil, plus the regular grapeseed oil into the blender through the hole in the lid TOSS chives into aioli with the blender off, stirring them into the dressing RESIST the temptation to keep it all to yourself! 😎 #whole30 #whole30recipes

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