Boniato Frito
(boh-nee-ah-toh free-toh)
Viandas & Sides (The Supporting Cast)
If you try to fry a regular American yam, you'll end up with a soggy, charred tragedy. To get that true, fluffy, chestnut-like Cuban side dish, you need the right tuber and a grandmother's secret. We're bypassing the orange sweet potatoes entirely—if you can't find a Caribbean boniato, buy the Japanese Murasaki variety. To cook them, we break all the rules of deep frying by dropping them straight into cold lard. As the fat heats, the potato poaches to a fluffy cloud inside before the exterior crisps into a golden shell. It feels wrong, but trust the ancestors. It works every time.
Before you start
Soak the cut tubers in cold, acidulated water.
Place the cut boniato in a large bowl filled with cold water, the citrus juice, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Let them soak for 30 minutes to pull out surface starch and prevent the flesh from oxidizing.
Drain but do not rinse.
Drain the boniatos thoroughly in a colander, leaving that faint trace of salt and acid clinging to the potato. Pat them obsessively dry with paper towels to prevent the oil from splattering later.
Ingredients
- Caribbean boniatos or Japanese sweet potatoes2 large
- kosher salt1 tsp
- lemon or lime juice1 tbsp
- lard or neutral frying oil2 cup
- kosher salt1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Start the boniatos in cold fat.
Place a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven on the stove and add your lard or oil before you turn on the heat. Add the dried boniato pieces straight into the cold fat in a single, even layer.
- 02
Slowly fry until perfectly golden.
Turn the heat to medium-high and leave them alone as the fat begins to melt and bubble. Once the oil is actively boiling and the edges look golden, about 10 to 12 minutes, use tongs to gently turn them and continue frying until deeply browned and crisp.
- 03
Drain and season immediately.
Transfer the hot boniatos to a wire rack or paper towels to drain excess fat. Immediately hit them generously with finishing salt while the surface is still glistening so it sticks.
Notes
Find the right sweet potato.
Standard American orange sweet potatoes will burn and turn to mush. If your local Latin grocer doesn't have white-fleshed boniatos, Japanese sweet potatoes (with dark purple skin and pale flesh) are an exact botanical substitute.
Add a touch of sugar.
For a hyper-regional rustic touch, dust the hot boniatos with a literal pinch of granulated sugar alongside the salt to make the savory and sweet flavors pop.
From Cook Cuban in America.