When you need a simple side dish that the whole family will love, look no further than air fryer fingerling potatoes. These delightful potatoes, with their crispy skins and soft, fluffy, creamy insides, are the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Not only are they delicious, but using an air fryer makes them quick and easy to prepare, freeing up your oven for other dishes. Whether you’re cooking for a weeknight dinner or a festive gathering, this recipe will quickly become a go-to favorite.
Ⅰ. Time Overview:
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
With a total time of just 30 minutes, you can have these tasty potatoes on your table in no time, making them an ideal choice for busy weeknights.
Ⅱ. Ingredients:
- Fingerling Potatoes: You’ll need small fingerling potatoes for this recipe. These potatoes are naturally buttery and have a thin skin, which crisps up beautifully in the air fryer. There’s no need to peel them, but be sure to remove any blemishes and cut them into uniform pieces—ideally, halve them lengthwise. We used yellow fingerlings, but colorful varieties work just as well, adding a festive touch to your dish.
- Oil: Olive oil is my go-to for this recipe, as it helps achieve that perfect crispy exterior. However, you can use any neutral-flavored vegetable oil, such as avocado oil.
- Parsley: Fresh or dried parsley adds a pop of color and a hint of fresh, garden flavor to the potatoes. It’s a simple addition that makes the dish feel special.
- Seasonings: The classic combination of garlic powder, salt, and pepper is simple yet effective, providing a balanced and delicious flavor. Feel free to experiment with other spices like paprika, cumin, and coriander to suit your taste or complement your main dish.
Ⅲ. How to Cook Fingerling Potatoes in an Air Fryer:
1. Preheat the Air Fryer:
Begin by preheating your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for about 5 minutes. This step ensures that the potatoes start cooking immediately and evenly.
2. Prepare the Potatoes:
While the air fryer is heating, wash and dry the fingerling potatoes. Cutting them into uniform pieces, preferably halving them lengthwise, ensures they cook evenly.
3. Season the Potatoes:
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until they are well coated. This seasoning blend will give them a delicious flavor and help them crisp up nicely.
4. Cook the Potatoes:
Arrange the seasoned potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cooking them in a single layer allows the hot air to circulate around each piece, ensuring they cook evenly and get crispy. Set the air fryer to cook at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
5. Shake the Basket:
About halfway through the cooking time, shake the basket to toss the potatoes. This step ensures that all sides get evenly cooked and helps prevent any pieces from sticking together.
6. Check for Doneness:
After 20 minutes, check the potatoes. They should be golden brown and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. If they need more time, continue cooking in 2-minute increments until they are perfect.
Ⅳ. Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes:
1.Dry and Clean:
Thoroughly scrub the potatoes and then pat them completely dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Moist potatoes won’t coat well with the seasoning mixture, and that oil coating is necessary for helping the potatoes crisp up in the air fryer.
2.Single Layer:
Never overcrowd the air fryer basket when cooking fingerling potatoes. Air frying works best when hot air can circulate evenly throughout the basket, so if the basket can’t hold all the potatoes in a single layer, cook in batches. This ensures each piece gets perfectly crispy.
3.Shake the Basket:
Shaking the basket during cooking ensures even frying. It also helps you check how much longer the potatoes need to cook. If the potatoes are sticking together, shaking them will help separate them.
4.Size Matters:
Keep in mind that the size of the potatoes directly affects the air frying time. If your fingerling potatoes are larger (or smaller), you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Smaller pieces will cook faster, while larger ones may need a few extra minutes.
5.Air Fryer Brand:
Every air fryer is different, so depending on the brand you have, you might need to adjust the cooking time and temperature. Start with the recommended settings and adjust as needed based on your specific air fryer’s performance.
6.No Soaking Needed:
Some recipes suggest soaking potatoes to remove excess starch, but for this recipe, you don’t need to do that. The potatoes will turn out perfectly crispy without the extra step.