This week, one of our recipes, Orange-Glazed Chicken Drumsticks with Mashed Yucca & Arugula Salad makes use of yucca. Also known as cassava, it’s a long, brown tuber that’s a staple in Latin-American cuisines. Most people liken it to a potato, but it’s really anything but. When mashed, yucca is fluffier than potatoes and has a light, delicate sweetness. Since we’ve established that yucca is not a potato, let’s not assume that you should prep it like a potato.
Instead, here’s how you prep a yucca for cooking.
Take your long brown tuber and set it on a cutting board.
Cut the yucca into 2-inch pieces
Using your knife, cut off the brown peel. (Don’t use the peeler–the skin is just too strong for that.)
Cut each piece into quarters.
Cut out and discard the starchy center.
Prep as you wish, or follow our recipe for mashed yucca here.
