Jicama and Mango Salad

Jicama?  What's that?  Will and I watch Chopped, obsessively watch Chopped.  Jicama has shown up often enough that it stands out in my mind.  I remember that they describe it as "a potato-like starch commonly used in Latin cuisine."  I wanted to try it.  

Jicamas are huge!  So, I used ~3/4 of my jicama in this salad and then roasted the rest of it the next night, in order to try it both ways.  Roasted was so good! just roast it enough to overcome the supremely crunchy nature of it, which is what made it so good in this salad.  I actually describe jicama as a starchy root vegetable with some juicy, citrus notes.  

If you like Mexican food, if you want to try something new, if you like fresh and crispy, then this is definitely worth trying!

- 1 medium jicama, about 1 lb.
- 2 small cucumbers
- 3 medium mangoes
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 limes, juiced
- kosher salt

Peel and cut the jicama into long thin strips.  Slice the cucumbers in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut into strips approximately the same size as the jicama.  Peel the mangoes, cut the cheeks off, and then slice into wedges.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl with the cilantro, chili powder, and lime juice.  Just before serving, garnish with a little salt and a few sprigs of cilantro.

 Notes of interest:  Anna-Kate ate this!  She enjoyed the jicama most when roasted but she ate the salad!  That means this will be repeated in our house!  I found this by searching "jicama" at foodnetwork.com.  Thank you to Tyler Florence for this one!  (According to him, this recipe serves 6.)