TGIFood

#9: Zesty roast potatoes in your air fryer

12 Dec 2024

A touch of lemon zest makes a flavourful difference to your air fryer roast potatoes.

Lemon is one of my three favourite aromatics, the other two being garlic and cumin. If that seems an odd mix, all three of them can be used together in a single dish, and they work together wonderfully. I use them all together, or just one so that it can be the flavour hero of whatever I’m cooking.

But, of the three, lemon is the most versatile, used in everything from cakes and ice creams to potjies, braai marinades, fruit preserves and so much more. I doubt there’s a more versatile ingredient in the culinary arsenal.

Having said that, for the zest in this simple potato recipe you can substitute orange or lime zest, depending on the season. I steamed them, then rolled them in cooking oil flavoured with lemon zest, black pepper and salt, and then roasted them in the air fryer.

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For this recipe, I first steamed the potatoes until they were half cooked, about 10 minutes from the time they started steaming. Or you could boil them for the same length of time. Just be sure to add the potatoes to cold water (salted) and then bring it to a boil, and to count 10 minutes from when the bubbling begins.

Once the steaming or boiling is done, immediately drain the potatoes but then put them back in the same hot pot and put it on a moderate heat, moving the pot from side to side to roll them around. This “burns” off the remaining water on their outsides.

Only when they are completely dry do you roll them in the flavoured oil.

Tony’s zesty air fryer roast potatoes

(Makes 8 roasties)

Ingredients

4 fairly large potatoes, halved

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

4 Tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Method

Steam or boil the halved potatoes for 10 minutes, and immediately stop cooking.

Halt the cooking by draining the water and rolling the potatoes in the dry pot on the heat while the remaining water evaporates. Then dry them in the air.

Add the lemon zest to the cooking oil in a bowl, with black pepper and salt. Stir.

Add dried potatoes to the seasoned cooking oil and toss until they are well coated. If there’s not enough cooking oil, add a little more.

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C.

Start by roasting in the air fryer for 20 minutes at 180°C. Pull the drawer out and shake it every few minutes for even cooking.

Toss the potatoes in the bowl again and return them to the air fryer.

Roast at 180°C for another 10 minutes. Insert a skewer to check that they’re beautifully soft in the centre. If not, give them another minute or two. Roll them in any remaining seasoned oil and serve. DM

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido.

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This dish is photographed on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.

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