Roast potatoes are a Sunday dinner staple, but making them from scratch can take hours
Roast potatoes are an absolute cornerstone of the Sunday dinner. Golden and crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy within, and bursting with rich, savoury goodness. Yet, making them from scratch in the oven can be a time-consuming and tiresome process. From peeling and parboiling to heating the fat and roasting, the whole affair can easily eat up a couple of hours — particularly when you’re feeding a crowd.
As much as I adore roast potatoes, the sheer amount of effort involved often puts me off tackling them from scratch. I’ll admit, I used to rely on supermarket own-brand frozen versions simply because I couldn’t face the hassle.
That all changed a few years back when I stumbled upon MasterChef UK champion Shelina Permalloo’s air-fryer roast potato recipe, which has completely revolutionised my Sunday roasts.
The recipe requires neither parboiling nor preheating fat in the oven, and needs just three ingredients to pull off. The parboiling step is cleverly replaced by a quick blast in the microwave, cutting down the cooking time considerably, reports the Express.
Shelina enthused about the recipe on Facebook: “Honestly, this recipe works each and every time, no par boiling, no pre-warming oil, this recipe needs to be saved!”
While the recipe calls for thyme and garlic to boost the flavour, I left these out when I gave it a go. I also opted for a good quality olive oil for its superior taste, though rapeseed, vegetable or any other oil would work just as well.
Air fryer roast potatoes recipe
Ingredients:
- Five medium Potatoes (I used Maris Piper)
- Sprig of thyme (optional)
- Six cloves of garlic (optional)
- Two to three tbsp oil
- Salt
Method:
1. Begin by roughly peeling the potatoes and cutting them into irregular chunks. There’s no need for them to be the same size.
2. Place them in the microwave and cook on full power at 800W for 10 minutes.
3. Give the potatoes a good shake before transferring them to the air fryer. The edges should be fluffy and slightly rough.
4. Drizzle over the oil, thyme (optional), salt and garlic (optional), ensuring the potatoes are thoroughly coated. Tossing them with a spoon works a treat.
5. Cook the potatoes in the air fryer at 180°C for 30 minutes.
Shelina took to Instagram to offer her top tips: “The key is to not overfill your microwave dish, if you do then they won’t steam. Don’t add water to the microwave. Drain all the water that comes out of the potatoes after microwaving.
“Also, when you air fry, make sure potatoes are all single-layered. If you cram them in, then they won’t go crispy. You need space between them so you get the perfect crunch.”
The finished potatoes should be gloriously crisp and golden on the outside, with a light and fluffy centre. For a bit of extra kick, try adding paprika or experimenting with various herbs, spices and oils.
The recipe has proved enormously popular among Shelina’s followers, with many applauding its no-fuss approach.
One fan remarked: “Microwaving the potatoes…..genius.”
Another enthused: “I made this once and I have been making it every night for the past two weeks. This is the absolute best recipe.”
A third added: “I just made these potatoes and they are delicious.”
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