Sometimes the findings at HEB surprise me. Yucca root sounds and looks like an item you'd have to go to a specialty market to find, so when I saw it sitting right there in the vegetable aisle of Texas's most cherished grocery store chain, I wondered why I'd never heard about it and grabbed one.
It was a bit of a monster, about the size of my forearm and weighing a full pound. I wasn't optimistic about how it would taste from its appearance. I had wanted to try grilling it, but I've never grilled anything in my life, and the terrified look on my father's face when he asked me if I knew how to use the grill and I told him I'd Google it was enough to stop me. After a bit of research, I decided instead to prepare the yucca in three ways: boiled, mashed, and fried.
It was a bit of a monster, about the size of my forearm and weighing a full pound. I wasn't optimistic about how it would taste from its appearance. I had wanted to try grilling it, but I've never grilled anything in my life, and the terrified look on my father's face when he asked me if I knew how to use the grill and I told him I'd Google it was enough to stop me. After a bit of research, I decided instead to prepare the yucca in three ways: boiled, mashed, and fried.I kept seeing that yucca required a "heavy-duty" vegetable peeler, and given that it was the hardest piece of produce I'd encountered right after coconuts, that seemed to make sense. But, aside from leaving my hand very sticky, it gave me very little trouble, and produced a pleasant, nutty scent (it can't be served raw because it contains some cyanide- how fun!- which might account for that smell).
Cutting it was a bit of a nightmare, as its core is incredibly tough. Our chopping knives were not up to the task, and as I pulled out a utensil that vaguely resembles a machete, the fear returned to my father's eyes, and he asked if he could take over. With difficulty, he cut it into strips lengthwise.From there, I returned to my regular-sized knife, worried I wouldn't be able to achieve the 1/4 inch slices Guy Fieri's yucca fries recipe called for, and might have to resort to a hairstylist's 1/4 inch instead. But once the core was split up, it was significantly easier to work with. The fries took some time to cook, but the result was so worth it: somewhere in between the flavor of sweet potato and regular fries, they were heavenly with the cayenne/paprika/lime zest blend the recipe called for.
I mashed up the rest of the boiled yucca, which took very little effort, and mixed in milk, butter, salt, and pepper, like I would with potatoes. The flavor of the butter stood out in a strange way, so I tried mixing in lime, cayenne and paprika, which had elevated the fries so much, as well as some garlic. While it improved, I was still left wishing it was mashed potatoes. I suspect there's a learning curve, but really think mashed yucca would shine with proper seasoning- the garlic flavor in mine had disappeared, while the butter still didn't meld well.
All in all, while yucca is a little finicky, and I may stick to mashing potatoes, I'll definitely be making those fries again.
The fried seemed to turn out significantly better (at least it did according to the images). I dont think i would have cared for the sliminess that the boiled had produced. Is it also used in a lot of soups? I feel like the scent and flavor would add to soup. The fries look really good! I think that you did a really great job of taking one of the more difficult produce to cook with and making it seem delicious! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't see anything about soups initially but a quick google search turned back a lot of soup recipes! It can be cooked in a lot of the same ways as potatoes, so that would make sense.
DeleteI think it's cool that you tasted the butter so much in the mashed version. I had the same experience with the rutabaga which is also a root. It just makes me wonder if there is something about them that makes that butter taste stand out. When you say it stood out in a "strange way", I know exactly what you mean because mine was that way, but was it strong to you? Just weird? Weird how? Your pictures are really good. Did you have a picture of the mashed version?
ReplyDeleteThe only way I can describe it is it tasted like pure butter, but like butter that had been in the fridge for a long time. It was NOT the good buttery that you get with mashed potatoes, and it threw me off for sure. I wish I had a picture, but unfortunately I made the grave error of leaving the bowl for a few minutes and the dogs got to it before I did. It did look pretty similar to potatoes though!
DeleteI've never tried yucca root before, and I had no idea that it was that difficult to prepare! How long did the fries take to cook? Have you tried to cook regular fries before? If so, did the yucca fries take longer? Aside from the sliminess of the boiled yucca, what else stood out to you about the texture or flavor of it? Great job preparing it three different ways!
ReplyDeleteI don't have any experience cooking fries at home, but they took around ten minutes, so I'm assuming normal fries take less time. I also think I may have overcooked them, but it's hard to tell- I have no idea what color or texture to expect! The boiled had a slightly sweet flavor that I had mostly covered up with my olive oil mixture, but I just couldn't get over that texture. I wound up just mashing it up with the rest because I couldn't eat more than two bites.
DeleteNever heard of the yucca root before and i must say it looked like it was really hard to peel. I agree with you on boiling it because it seems like a tough vegetable to mix with spices. What did it taste like while mashed, i know you added a lot of other ingredients to it, but was it sweet, sour, earthy, bland? The fries look really appetizing though. I would eat those and think they were regular french fries is someone didn't tell me otherwise.
ReplyDeleteIt's slightly like potatoes, I think, in that when you mash it, there's not a ton of flavor--the emphasis is on the texture and whatever you mix in. It is just slightly sweet, though. The fries had a definitive sweet flavor, not quite as sweet as sweet potato, but some of that was lost in the mashed version.
DeleteI like that you had prepared the yucca 3 different ways. It gives variety to the post. When you say hairstylists 1/4 inch I wasn't exactly sure what you meant. The fries were definitely the best photo of the bunch. Your process description is entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if that joke made any sense outside my brain- I'll take it out in revision. Thanks!!
DeleteI think the parts where you talk about your dad are funny. Did he try your finished products? If so, what did he think of them? Your fries do look really good! Did they have the same texture as potato fries? Was the nutty smell of the raw root reflected in its taste?
ReplyDeleteThanks!! He liked the fries a lot but I couldn't get him to say much more. They were a little chewier than normal fries, and they sort of bubble up, but I suspect that's because I may have slightly overcooked them (I know so little about yucca that it's really hard to tell!). There really wasn't a nutty flavor at all, which is another reason I think it may be the cyanide that's not cooked off yet. Scary, but at least it smells nice!
DeleteThis definitely does look tough. I've always seen this vegetable in the grocery store but I've never run across a recipe that called for it. I commend you for trying three different ways of preparation. Could you describe the taste of the boiled product a little more? Good job!
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