I encountered some freshly dug jicama, native to Mexico and South America, at the weekend farmers’ market.
While they can reach up to about 5 pounds at full maturity, these tan to brown specimens were in their younger stage, yielding about a pound each.
This root vegetable, to my surprise, is related to legumes. However, it grows in a different fashion to the more common beans and peas. With a texture like that on an unripe potato, jicama delivers a nice juicy crunch, like that of water chestnuts.
With subtle sweet notes throughout, jicama can be enjoyed in both raw and cooked preparations. This is an item that I have not worked with very much in my home kitchen, primarily due to the very limited seasonal availability. But I enjoy it any time I can get my hands on it.
The outer skin of jicama can be quite tough and should be peeled away before consuming.
For the more mature jicama, it often takes a sharp knife to remove the skin, although a vegetable peeler worked quite well for the jicama I purchased this week.
Jicama can be enjoyed roasted in the oven, pickled, added to a stir-fry, or spiralized and tossed with a salad.
This week I prepared some baked jicama fries, a healthy high-protein version. They can be served with your favorite burger, with fish and “chips”, or to dip in your favorite hummus.
Jicama fries
1½ pounds raw jicama, peeled and cut into French Fry sized spears (about ¼ inch thick).
2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil.
½ teaspoon garlic salt.
½ teaspoon smoked paprika.
Freshly cracked pepper.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Simmer Jicama spears in water on the stovetop for about 7-8 minutes. Strain and dry. Then toss together all ingredients in a mixing bowl until evenly coated. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet in a single layer, and put that in the oven.
Cook for about 20 minutes. Flip and cook for another 20 minutes, or until desired texture is reached.
Yield: Enough fries for five people.
