Ah, the New Year. The time for resolutions – either staying the course and keeping to them, or breaking on day 2. But how about feeling like you’re “cheating” without doing so – eating some “fries” without the guilt? (shaking your head). I’m with you on this.
A glorious thing happens when someone eating low carb, like me, tries to reinvent the wheel with comfort food. Believe me, there are so many ways you can enjoy some serious decadent comfort foods without overloading it for your daily food intake.
But we’re not going to over-complicate things here – let’s bring it back to basics. Jicama is a great alternative to potatoes! It’s basically a cousin of the humble tuber, and has a mild potato-like taste and texture…so here goes nothin’!
This is not a Rachel-original idea though. I’ve seen lots of other keto bloggers try out this type of recipe but I like to put my person spin on it. Add some herbs and spices and dip it in a rich homemade lemon garlic aioli. Because, what goes better than a lemon garlic dipping sauce? Really…if you have any other ideas, I’m listening! 🙂 And for the record, if you don’t feel like making your own homemade aioli, by all means, use store-bought mayo, and just add in some minced garlic, lemon juice, and some spices and you’re good to go.
Truthfully, jicama is not the easiest to prep. You have to wash and peel the tough other skin, then slice it into matchsticks. So, when I found some prepped jicama slices in the grocery store, you better believe I bought it. It saves me a TON of time! Although I did end up slicing these sticks in half, to get that “shoestring” fry shape I was going for. And one last thing to note – these fries can burn pretty quick if you’re not keeping an eye on them, but…I prefer a little bit of that dark brown crispiness. Not all of them will get super crispy, but of course you can always fry these instead of baking – I mean, why not? #YOLO (do people even say that anymore? ha).
So go enjoy a big stack of fries! Even if they’re “healthy” for you, right? 🙂
- 1 lb. jicama - cut into matchsticks or thinner
- 4 tbsp. avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. hot paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion salt I love the Trader Joe's brand - or you can just use minced onion, or onion powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt I like using pink Himalayan salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 eggs I prefer using good quality eggs for this aoli, since it's raw egg, so look for pasturized eggs
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 cup avocado oil You want to use a light-tasting oil, so you can use light olive oil instead, if you prefer
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Pre-heat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Add the jicama slices, oil and spices in a large bowl and mix well.
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Spread out the jicama on the baking sheet, making sure the jicama is in an even layer, if they overlap on the pan, they won't get crispy.
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Bake for 50-60 minutes - checking the last 10 minutes to make sure they aren't burning. I prefer mine on the darker side since they get more crunchy that way, but you don't want them burnt to a crisp - and they can burn quick if you're not watching!
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Meanwhile, make the aoli - in a high powered blender, add the eggs, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
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With the motor running on medium speed - drizzle in the oil in a slow stream until the aoli is emulsified. I estimated about a cup, but you'll see the mayo dressing come together and your blender will make a "chugging" sound when the aoli is fully combined. It should be thick like mayo.
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Serve the fries either hot or room temp with the aioli - dunk and devour!
If you liked this recipe don’t forget to checkout Daniel’s take Jicama Fries: Loaded Jicama Fries Two Ways
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