I’d never even heard of a jicama until I went Paleo–mostly because a lot of people seem to like using them in a sort of mock-potato salad.  Just smother chunks of the stuff in mayo…maybe a little dijon mustard and chopped veggies…mmmmmm!

But then I heard through the blogospheric grape vine that you can make fries out of them too.  I [heart] fries…of all kinds.  Totally democratic that way

Only problem was that jicama has a pretty tough texture that doesn’t always lend itself to cooking or baking.  It’s fine raw but I wanted a nice, warm, soft interior and crispy exterior.  I wanted fries, duh.  I saw a few recipes that called for frying  them, but thanks to my minimalist kitchen these days that wasn’t an option.  That, and I was feeling lazy.

Despite being lazy the jicama experiment took some patience because as it turns out, jicama fries are a much bigger pain in the ass than, say, sweet potato or eggplant fries.  Don’t worry, I’m being dramatic.  In this case “pain in the ass” = “takes longer to cook.”  I’m really, really impatient when I’m hungry.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

1 Large Jicama

3 T Olive Oil

1 T Sea Salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the jicama into fry-sized strips.  Make sure they are only about 1/2″ on each side (if they’re too thick they won’t cook through).  Blot with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and place into a large mixing bowl with the oil and salt.  Mix well and arrange on the cookie sheet with at least 1/2″ between fries.  Use another sheet if you run out of space.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until browned slightly on the outside and soft on the inside.  Serve with LOTS of Cave Ketchup.

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Better-Than-Yours Sweet Potato Fries Baked Ginger Cilantro Tempura Butternut Squash Fries Rutabaga Fries Sweet Potato Tots