Getting perfectly crispy jacket potatoes in the oven always takes longer than anticipated, especially when they’re supposed to be a quick, low-effort meal. You can hurry up the process by popping spuds in the microwave before placing them in the oven; this doesn’t always guarantee they’ll come out fluffy inside.
Able to cook almost anything in less time than a traditional oven, from croissants to pancakes, French fries and even steak, air fryers are a great option if you’re cooking on a time crunch (or if you can’t be bothered to wait for your potatoes to crisp up). While plenty of air fryer recipes out there will get you the desired results in under an hour, this one, in particular, uses a clever method to ensure extra crispy skin, arguably the most critical part of cooking a jacket potato.
The recipe posted by food blogger Safira Adam, known online as ‘Tiffin and Tea’ on Ninja Test Kitchen, recommends rolling the potatoes in coarse salt before cooking to ensure extra crispy but fluffy potatoes. And even better, they only take 45 minutes to cook.
Here’s the recipe for perfectly crispy air fryer jacket potatoes in less than an hour.
Air fryer jacket potatoes
Ingredients
Two Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes (225g each)
Two tsp vegetable oil
One tbsp coarse salt such as Maldon
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter
Method
Start by massaging the potatoes with oil, making sure they’re covered.
This next step makes the potato skin extra crispy, so do not skip it. Once the potatoes are covered in oil, roll them in coarse salt, ensuring the skin is covered.
Place the potatoes in the basket and select the air fry function. Set the temperature to 200C.
Leave them in the air fryer for 45 minutes, and set a timer so you don’t forget to remove them.
Once the 45 minutes is up, remove the potatoes from the basket. Check that they’re cooked all the way through and cut a slit down the centre so the skin remains crispy and the insides are fluffy.
Season with salt, pepper and a dollop of butter before adding your choice of toppings.