Yaroa is a Dominican street food, often enjoyed after a night out on the town! It’s made with layers of french fries, beef, cheese, and condiments. Very similar to chili cheese fries, it’s not hard to see why this dish is so popular!
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My trip to the Dominican Republic was one of the most fun and beautiful trips I’ve been on in a long time! The sand is white, the water is teal, the people are fun, and the food…. The food is incredible.
I never took the chance to go to a Dominican night club, but I’ve heard that a quintessential part of the experience is what happens after you leave the club.
After a night out with friends, a common evening ritual is to stop by one of the many food trucks on the street of the DR. A fairly new dish will be found on plenty of the menus called Yaroa.
Yaroa Dominicana is a casserole type dish with french fries at the bottom, a beef and tomato mixture as the middle layer, cheese, and then mayonnaise or ketchup on top. It resembles what I think of as chili cheese fries or Canadian Poutine, and I can certainly tell why it’s popular in and outside of the Dominican Republic!
Keep reading for instructions on how to make it 😉
Why Make this Recipe
- “Travel” to Dominican Republic: The Dominican Republic is absolutely beautiful, warm, and full of fun-loving people. I would recommend visiting DR if you can at some point, but I know that this isn’t always possible. If you can’t get to the Dominican Republic but still want to experience a small piece of it, try making Yaroa Dominicana at home! You’ll close your eyes and feel like you’ve just spent an evening at a Dominican night club and are getting a snack before your journey home.
- Great for Kids: It’s no secret that most kids love protein. And if your kids are anything like how I was as a child, it’s sometimes hard to get them to eat their protein! You can make this recipe at home to give your kids a nice treat they’ll LOVE while also making sure they get their protein in. Serve with some fruit or veggies on the side to make sure they get some of those yummy nutrients as well!
- The Toppings: Melty cheese, ketchup, and mayonnaise on top of fries… need I say more?
Ingredients in this Recipe
- Ground Beef: You can use ground beef for this recipe or any other kind of ground meat that you have on hand. Pork is also popular as well as chicken. I sometimes make this with elk or venison depending on what I have on hand and if I’m willing to go to the grocery store
- Idaho Potatoes: You can also use russet potatoes. Make sure to use a potato that has a high amount of starch as they will fry up the crispiest. In some cases, the potatoes are replaced by mashed plantains (also called mangú).
- Cheese: I chose to use a combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. Other recipes for Yaroa sometimes call for different kinds of cheese as well. I’ve seen fancy ones like gouda or even Danish cheese. Cheddar and mozzarella seem to be the most common cheeses, but if you use something else, let me know in the comments below!
How to Make this Recipe
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Step 1: Make the Fries
Follow these instructions to make your fries.
Step 2: Make the Beef Mixture
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute or two.
Add the beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula as you go. Once the beef is cooked, add the tomato sauce and stir until heated. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Layer
Lay some fries on a plate, then spoon the beef mixture over the fries.
Sprinkle shredded cheddar and shredded mozzarella over the fries, then squeeze the mayonnaise and ketchup over the plate to your preference. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- If you are worried about keeping this meal healthier, you can also replace the french fries with mashed plantains. Follow the instructions for Mangú in order to make the mashed plantains.
- I topped my Yaroa Dominicana with ketchup and mayonnaise, but you can choose whatever dressing you want. I’ve seen this recipe on some Dominican menus with Russian Dressing. You can also choose to add Andalouse sauce if you so desire.
- Make sure that you use a cooking thermometer when making your French Fries. It makes all the difference, I promise!!
- In some versions of Yaroa, the cheese is melted on top. You can also make sure to melt your cheese as opposed to having it shredded on top if you so prefer.
- If you want to squeeze the mayonnaise over the fries, you can put it in a small plastic bag and use scissors make a tiny snip in the corner. Then squeeze the mayonnaise out of the bag similar to how you’d use a piping bag to ice a cake.
Recipe FAQs
How is Yaroa Served?
In my home, I plated some french fries, then piled them high with meat, cheese, and condiments.
You can do this in the Dominican Republic, but the more common way to serve Yaroa is to plate it almost like a lasagna. The layers are piled into a styrofoam To Go box and are then eaten with a fork!
This dish is very typical of food trucks in DR, so it is made to be easy to eat while on the go!
How Can I Customize this Recipe?
My version of Yaroa Dominicana features beef, cheese, ketchup and mayonnaise. There are PLENTY of other ingredients that you can add to the dish if you want something a little different than what is included in the recipe card below.
Other common ingredients that you can add are plantains, mustard, chicken, or pork. I’ve also seen versions that use other types of cheese!
If you liked this recipe, make sure to check out some of the other posts on my blog that you’re going to love:
- Creamy Beef and Shells in the Instant Pot
- Beef Empanada
- Rum Cake from the Bahamas
- Tropical Stuffed Avocados from Barbados
Yaroa
Ingredients
Beef Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 tsp Garlic
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 cup Tomato sauce
- ½ tsp Salt
- Pepper to taste
Assembly Ingredients
- 1 lb french fries, store bought, or you can use this recipe
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar
- 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella
- Ketchup, for topping
- Mayonnaise, for topping
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute or two.
- Add the beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula as you go. Once the beef is cooked, add the tomato sauce and stir until heated. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lay some fries on a plate, then spoon the beef mixture over the fries.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar and shredded mozzarella over the fries, then squeeze the mayonnaise and ketchup over the plate to your preference.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Ground Beef: You can use ground beef for this recipe or any other kind of ground meat that you have on hand. Pork is also popular as well as chicken. I sometimes make this with elk or venison depending on what I have on hand and if I’m willing to go to the grocery store
- Idaho Potatoes: You can also use russet potatoes. Make sure to use a potato that has a high amount of starch as they will fry up the crispiest. In some cases, the potatoes are replaced by mashed plantains (also called mangú).
- Cheese: I chose to use a combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. Other recipes for Yaroa sometimes call for different kinds of cheese as well. I’ve seen fancy ones like gouda or even Danish cheese. Cheddar and mozzarella seem to be the most common cheeses, but if you use something else, let me know in the comments below!
- If you are worried about keeping this meal healthier, you can also replace the french fries with mashed plantains. Follow the instructions for Mangú in order to make the mashed plantains.
- I topped my Yaroa Dominicana with ketchup and mayonnaise, but you can choose whatever dressing you want. I’ve seen this recipe on some Dominican menus with Russian Dressing. You can also choose to add Andalouse sauce if you so desire.
- Make sure that you use a cooking thermometer when making your French Fries. It makes all the difference, I promise!!
- In some versions of Yaroa, the cheese is melted on top. You can also make sure to melt your cheese as opposed to having it shredded on top if you so prefer.
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