Air Fryer Potatoes with Thai Curry Paste

This “easy idea” recipe has quickness in mind for when you want some crispy home fries.  And for lovers of Thai curry and/or anything spicy, you’re in for a treat because these are laced with spicy, aromatic Asian flavors. If you don’t have an air fryer, go get one! I use a Ninja. Or, you can also follow the same cooking technique as my Herb Roasted Potatoes.

Personally, I resisted buying an air fryer for many years, and now I love it. Something about pulling crispy food out of a machine feels so 80s-cartoon nostalgic after watching the Jetsons do it countless times as a kid. It seemed so futuristic. I always thought, “I want to do that some day”, and that day has arrived.

All that’s happening with these air fried potatoes is … blanching (or boiling) some mini potatoes, coating them in some oil and Thai curry paste, then throwing them in the air fryer. However, to assure success, there are some “dos and don’ts”, and here they are:

• Do use small potatoes. The smaller they are, the quicker they will cook. Simply cut some baby potatoes in half, or cut larger potatoes into half-inch cubes. 
• Do arrange the potatoes in only one layer. They need air to crisp properly, so piling them on will inhibited that from happening. Only cook the amount that one layer will allow, and do the rest in multiple batches. 
• Don’t just throw them directly into the air fryer. Boiling them first (or, blanching) helps reduce the air frying time, but also ensures that the exteriors will get crisper, simply because they got a head start on cooking. And … DO make sure you’re water is boiling BEFORE you drop the potatoes in.
• Don’t use too high of a heat setting. If your air fryer is like mine where 390 degrees is the default, you’re going to need to adjust that. If it’s too not, it will burn the curry ingredients before the potato interiors are fork tender. I started with 360 for the first half of cooking time, then increased it to 375 to finish it off.

What you need

• baby potatoes
• kosher salt
• any type of Thai curry paste
• canola oil
• air fryer

What to do

1. Fill a medium sauce pan with water half way, add some salt (about a teaspoon), and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, slice baby potatoes in half, or cut other potatoes into 1/2 -inch cubes
2. Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes and cook them just long enough for the water to come to a brief boil for about 30 seconds. Then, pour into a strainer. 
3. Transfer the strained potatoes into a medium bowl. Add just enough of canola oil to coat all of the potatoes, about 2 tablespoons. Then stir in the Thai curry paste, making sure it is even distributed. You don’t want any clumps of curry paste.
4. Arrange the coated potatoes in one layer of an air fryer pan. Air fry the potatoes for about 15 minutes total … first at 360 degrees for 8 minutes, then increase the heat to 375 for the remaining time. 
5. Remove the potatoes once they are fork tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. 

 

Jerk Seasoned air fryer potatoes

Once you have this general technique mastered, you can enjoy countless variations by simply swapping out the seasonings. If you’re familiar with my cooking, it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Jamaican jerk flavor profile. It delivers spiciness from Scotch Bonnet peppers, freshly ground black pepper and allspice (Jamaican pimento) combined with aromatics of scallions, garlic, and thyme. Jerk chicken on the grill is one of my signature dishes, but I wanted to enjoy these flavors in a meatless context. Potatoes are perfect for this because they can take on a lot of seasoning.

What you need for jerk seasoning

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground allspice (Jamaican pimento)
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

The amounts of these jerk seasoning ingredients is completely flexible. Jerk seasoning usually has scallions, but I didn’t actually use them for the potatoes. All you need to do is put these ingredients in a mortar and pestle and smash it into a paste. Air fry the potatoes according to the same instructions as the Thai curry version above.