This Christmas, many people will be swapping their traditional ovens for the air fryer to prepare their festive feast. Quick, healthy and more energy-efficient, it’s no surprise that they’ve become a kitchen essential in so many homes over the past few years.
If you’re in charge of making roast potatoes this year, why not try something a bit different by picking up a 39p tin of potatoes from Tesco and making a batch of perfectly crispy spuds in your air fryer? Whether enjoyed as part of your Christmas dinner or simply as a festive snack, I first tried this recipe in 2022 and was astounded at how easy – yet delicious – it was. Budget-friendly, simple and ready in under 30 minutes – what’s not to love?
To start, I drained the tin of new potatoes and halved each one. I then boiled them for roughly five minutes – since they were tinned, they were already quite tender, making cutting easier and reducing the cooking time.
I then drained the pan’s contents into a colander, giving the potatoes a good shake and allowing them to steam for a few minutes. At this point, I was beginning to dread that my attempt would be a disaster.
Most roast potato recipes recommend Maris Piper potatoes due to their fluffier texture, which gives roasties their signature crunch. These new potatoes didn’t seem to fluff up much, but I tried not to let this put me off.
After a brief steaming, I returned the potatoes to the pot and stirred in a tablespoon of oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Then it was time to transfer them to the air fryer.
My Russell Hobbs SatisFry model is quite small, but ideal for a single-person household. If you own a larger model, you could make a larger batch – definitely enough to accompany your Christmas dinner.
The crucial point to remember is not to overfill the basket and ensure the potatoes are evenly spread out for the perfect roast. I then cooked them at 190C for 25 minutes, giving the basket a shake midway through.
To be honest, my expectations were low when I went to check on them but I was pleasantly surprised to discover they had crisped up beautifully, and I couldn’t wait for them to finish so I could dig in.
The crunch was off the scale and they made excellent nibbles. I was too impatient to eat them to fuss about any toppings – and they were amazing just as they were – but they would go great with a bit of gravy or maybe some leftover turkey and cranberry sauce.
Think loaded fries, but swap the fries for roasties.
These instantly became a snack staple in my home and I can’t wait to make another few batches this Christmas.
