MasterChef winner’s roast potatoes only take 30 minutes in air fryer | UK | News

A MasterChef champion has shared her secret to making the ‘perfect’ roast potatoes in the air fryer – and they only take 30 minutes.

Shelina Permalloo, who won BBC‘s MasterChef in 2012, has taken to social media to share her cooking tips to help you dish up the best Christmas dinner yet.

She said: “The easiest crispy roast potatoes! Honestly this recipe works each and every time, no par boiling, no pre-warming oil, this recipe needs to be saved!”

To start, you need to make sure to buy a bag of Maris Piper potatoes, before setting aside sprig thyme, 6 garlic cloves, 2-3 tbsp of oil, and some salt.

The preparation couldn’t be easier with five simple steps…

Her five steps:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into odd shapes
2. Microwave for 10 mins full power 800w
3. Shake around potatoes and add to air fryer
4. Add microwaved potatoes oil thyme salt and garlic
5. Air fryer at 180 for 30 mins

Commenting on her post, one user said: “I did 350f for 15 minutes air fryer and they were perfect. Maybe check them as they cook. Thanks for the recipe!”

Another user added: “Tried them but boiled my potatoes and they turned out delicious and crispy.”

A third user said: “You lost me at microwave bowl.”

One more user added: “Works so well, used this recipe many times. Thank you.”

A final user said: “I tried this tonight. Probably the best roasties I’ve ever done.”

Sharing another way to create crispy roast potatoes, food director Michelle Southan said: “The trick to the ultimate crispy roasted tater is to boil the potatoes first and then dry them out.

“Then, rough up the edges of the spuds by shaking the pan or using a fork.”

To achieve this, some cooks add bicarb to their potatoes to “increases the pH of the water, which breaks down the starches of the potato”.

A statement on Taste reads: “You’ll see as the potatoes boil with bicarb, they become rough around the edges as the surface is broken down.

“This special trick creates little crevices which allows the oil to seep into and crisp up the spuds when roasted.

“I cooked half a tray with regular roast potatoes and the other half with potatoes that were boiled with bicarb. Wow, the difference was shocking.

“I couldn’t taste a single trace of bicarb and was instead met with the most golden, puffy roast potatoes.

“They were so crispy and formed little pockets of air in between the surface and the fluffy centre.

“You’ll also find they crisp up in the oven much faster than the batch without bicarb. These roast potatoes were, hands down, the crunchiest potatoes I’ve ever made. “