Perfect Air Fryer Roast Potatoes (Crispy & Fluffy)

Source video by Air Fryer Fella on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

These air fryer roast potatoes are cooked traditionally in hot oil at the base of the drawer, not on the crisper plate, for proper crispy results. Floury potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward are parboiled, dusted with semolina for a crunchy coating, then air fried in preheated oil until golden. A knob of salted butter and black pepper added in the final minutes gives them deep flavour. Ready in just over 20 minutes from the air fryer, plus prep time.

Ingredients

• 1 kgfloury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled and cut into evenly sized roast potato shapes
• 3 tbspcooking oil
• 2 tbspsemolina
• salt

• 1 knobsalted butter (add late)
• black pepper, freshly ground (add late)

Method

1. Peel the potatoes. Lay each potato on its side, cut about one third off the narrower end, then turn the larger piece and cut it in half the other way. This gives three evenly sized, proper roast potato shapes per potato.

   ~10 min

2. Place the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold salted water and soak for 30 minutes to remove excess starch. If short on time, give them a thorough rinse under cold water instead.

   ~30 min

3. Drain the potatoes, transfer to a pan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Parboil Maris Piper or King Edward for no more than 5 minutes (waxier or larger potatoes may need up to 10 minutes). Do not over-boil or they will break up when roasted.

   ~5 min

4. Meanwhile, remove the crisper plate from the air fryer drawer (it can dry the potatoes out). Add 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil to the bottom of the drawer and preheat at 200°C (392°F) for 5 minutes.

   ~5 min

5. Drain the parboiled potatoes and return them to the dry pan. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of semolina, put the lid on and give them a good shake to roughen the edges and fully coat them.

   ~1 min

6. Carefully tip the potatoes into the hot oil; they should sizzle on contact. Immediately turn them over so every side is coated in oil. Spray any dry-looking patches with a little extra oil. Do not overcrowd the drawer.

   ~2 min

7. Air fry at 200°C (392°F) for 20 minutes. Every few minutes, gently shake the drawer or turn the potatoes with tongs for even cooking, spraying any dry spots with oil and adding a little salt as you go.

   ~20 min

8. When 8-10 minutes remain, add a generous knob of salted butter and a grind of black pepper. Shake or turn occasionally so the potatoes are completely coated in the flavoured butter. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme or paprika here if you like.

   ~8 min

9. Check the potatoes at 20 minutes; they should be golden, crispy and sizzling. If needed, return them for a further 3 minutes.

   ~3 min

10. Tip the potatoes into a large bowl with plenty of space around them so they do not steam and lose their crisp. Finish with a final sprinkle of salt and serve straight away.

    ~1 min

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