Jacket potatoes, a beloved British classic with many topping choices, are nothing without that essential crunchy skin.
While oven-baking for hours can yield mouth-watering results, quickly achieving that same crispiness is often challenging. Enter the air fryer, a kitchen hero that speeds up the process, and one culinary whizz has shared her top tip for perfect spuds.
Anthea Malialis, famed as ‘superhomecook’ on Instagram, posted a video showcasing a jacket potato with irresistibly crispy skin and soft interior.
She advised: “Do you want to make a jacket potato like this? Here’s how…” Her method doesn’t rely on a specific air fryer model or fancy tools but on a simple mix of salt, oil, and tin foil.
The Instagram cook continued: “The trick lies in salting the potatoes before air frying, which helps draw out moisture, leading to a drier, fluffier potato encased in a crispier shell.”
Anthea also highlighted the importance of potato variety, recommending Maris Piper or King Edwards for their floury, starchy qualities that guarantee a fluffy finish. While the size of the potatoes isn’t critical, she notes that cooking times will vary based on their dimensions.
After securing your baking potatoes, wash them well and jab plenty of holes with a fork. Anthea reveals the secret to perfect crispy skin: “Brush the spuds with olive oil,” and don’t forget to “Season well with sea salt,” which will adhere to the oily surface, reports the Express.
Preheat your air fryer to 170C. Before placing it in the fryer basket, wrap your potato in tinfoil — a step typically avoided with air fryers but handy for easier clean-up and keeping moisture in, preventing the potato’s centre from becoming too dry.
Anthea recommends baking at 170C for 40 to 45 minutes, then advises, “Once the potatoes are finished, open the foil, lightly spray with oil, add a pinch of salt, and cook for a further 15 minutes at 205C, as this will help to get the skin crispy.”
For those with an air fryer that doesn’t reach 205C, then 200C will do – you may need to keep the potato in for a few extra minutes, however.
The method has wowed Instagram users, with one commenting: “This is so simple to make and yet one of my all-time favourites.”
Another added, “top-tier potato,” and a third remarked on the satisfying crunch: “The crisp on the outside is so satisfying.”