Apparently it's Halloween, now? I'm not entirely sure how that happened because there are MONTHS until Halloween. And you all know how mad we get when they start rolling out Christmas in October. So, letting Halloween creep into the 4th of July afterglow is just a little bit much! But there are a plethora of bright purple plants at one of my grocery stores and it's giving me witchy vibes. What exactly the food that that mood gives off is still a bit of a mystery to me. Although I do have a jicama and am wondering if ghostly French fries with ketchup and hot sauce is the answer.
I've never had jicama before. And I knew that it had a reputation for tasting like an apple. But how exactly can something that looks so much like a potato taste quite so much like it belongs in a pie? Plus, apple fries are actually kind of delicious.
You have been forewarned, though. Jicama does indeed taste like a deep fried apple! Which isn't necessarily everyone's cup of tea. Although I would recommend playing this up and adding nutmeg and cayenne to the recipe. I decided to go midwestern apple pie-style and tossed on a bunch of cheddar cheese. Although that was predominantly because I was unexpectedly out of ketchup. Which I'd fully intended on pouring hot sauce into.
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Variations of Jicama Fries
Fries don't keep well. They're one of those foods that's incredibly time sensitive. You must eat them literally the moment that they come out of the fryer or they're absolutely useless. And everyone knows that there's no good way to reheat fries. Once the moisture sets in? Fries have a soginness factor that is perpetually ticking.
So, unless you're going to go out for French fries? You're going to need a home version of the dish. My favorite way is to make them in the air fryer. I've had an at-home deep fryer before and absolutely detest the cleaning work and maintenance involved. Air fryers are the best solution to this. Requiring very little oil and creating instant French fries in about 15-20 minutes. Which might not sound that instantaneous, but it's certainly far superior to leaving the house for them!
Jicama Fries are incredibly easy to throw together in an Air Fryer. You can certainly bake them or get your own personal deep fryer. Although I'm quite fond of the Air Fryer setup. It's quick and easy with very little fuss. The taste is also quite similar to deep fried French fries without the horrendous mess of actually having to have a vat of deep fryer oil on your kitchen counter. Not that this is an unsponsored advertisement for air fryers. But they truly are one of my favorite gimmicky kitchen appliance that is actually worth it!
Lightly coat on all sides with salt, pepper, and oil.I have an olive oil spritzer that I like to spray on the fries and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. However, you can easily toss in a bowl.
Arrange wedges in the basket of the air fryer, making sure that there is space between them. It's okay if they touch a little because you will end up rotating them. However, there does need to be some air flow between the potatoes for them to crisp properly.
Cook at 400°F for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges have begun brown.
Rotate the jicama, either by flipping them one by one or shaking the basket until the have turned over. If they're starting to brown or blacken too quickly, spritz with more oil.
Cook at 400°F for another 5-7 minutes. Cooking times will vary based on the size of the wedges and amount of oil.
Serve immediately. Fries do not keep crisp long!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For more tips and tricks, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Air Fryer Wedge Fries. It includes all of the added information on using other types of potatoes and whether it's necessary to soak the potatoes or preheat the air fryer.
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