Baked potatoes are super versatile and easy to make, making them a popular dinner or even lunch option.
They are most tasty when they have crispy skin and fluffy inside, but this can be hard to perfect.
I recently followed a BBC Good Food recipe which uses a microwave and an air fryer instead of an oven.
The recipe notes said: “Try baking potatoes in an air fryer to achieve a crisp skin with a fluffy centre.
“The process is quicker and can be more energy-efficient than using the oven.”
Ingredients:
Four baking potatoes, about 250g each
Half a tablespoon of sunflower oil
Salt and pepper
Toppings of your choice, butter, cheese, baked beans or tuna mayonnaise
Method:
Whilst the potatoes can go directly into the air fryer and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, I sped the process up by putting them in the microwave first.
The recipe said: “To speed up the cooking time, you can microwave on high for eight to 10 minutes before air frying, checking after 15 to 20 minutes.”
Before putting them in the microwave, I made sure to scrub them to remove any dirt and then patted them dry with kitchen paper.
The jacket potatoes in my microwave took a total of 10 minutes, and I turned them halfway to ensure even cooking.
Once I removed them, they were already looking a little crispy. I then drizzled some oil on top of them before sprinkling on some salt and pepper.
According to the recipe, the salt can help the skin crisp up even more once in the air fryer.
I then placed them in the air fryer to cook at 200C and checked them after 15 minutes and they were crispy and ready to eat.
If they do seem to be browning quite fast though, you can use tongs to turn them over.
When ready, the skin should be crisp and the inside tender and fluffy. I decided to put on some garlic and herb butter before adding cheese, beans and a little more cheese on the top.
This recipe was by far the best I’ve followed as it cut the cooking time by over half which is ideal on a weeknight.
The potato was super fluffy and soft, whilst the skin had a delicious crunch to it.
