Side · 1 hour 20 minutes · Serves 4
Smoke & Flame fries
Good air-fried fries come down to water. Soaking the cut potatoes rinses off the surface starch that makes them stick and turn gummy, and drying them properly afterwards is what lets them crisp instead of steam. A spoonful of oil is all the air fryer needs.
Season after cooking, not before. Smoke & Flame has paprika and sugar in it, and in the hot, fast-moving air of the fryer both catch and turn bitter. Tossed over hot fries, the blend clings to the oil still on them and stays smoky rather than burnt.
Be generous. The fries in the photograph are dusted red all over, and the seasoning left on the plate is for dragging the last ones through.
- Serves
- 4 as a side
- Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 kg floury potatoes
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 to 3 tsp Smoke & Flame
- Flake salt, only if it needs it
Method
- Peel the potatoes, or leave the skins on if you prefer. Cut them into slices about 1 cm thick, then into batons about 1 cm wide.
- Soak the batons in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes. Drain, then dry them thoroughly on a clean tea towel: any water left on them steams in the air fryer instead of crisping.
- Heat the air fryer to 200°C.
- Toss the dry batons with the oil until every one is coated. Put them in the basket no more than two layers deep, cooking in batches if they crowd.
- Air fry for 18 to 22 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, until golden and crisp at the edges.
- Tip them into a large bowl, scatter over the Smoke & Flame and toss while they are hot. Taste before you salt, because the blend already has some.