For a few years now, the air fryer has been on the top of a lot of people’s gift lists. Last year, I asked for one, fully expecting that it would join the other must-have kitchen gadgets in the closet after one use.
The first food I made was frozen french fries. They came out crispy and delicious. Next, I “fried” up some pork chops. Surprisingly, I now only make pork chops this way. Within two weeks the air fryer had a permanent place on my kitchen counter, and I use it no less than two times a week.
Even though the holidays are over, the fun is not. January and February bring us the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras. With an air fryer on hand to make quick party favorites or romantic meals for two, it might just be the appliance you actually use that you had to have this holiday season.
One of my favorite things to make in the air fryer are “chips.” They are delicious on their own but they also make a great base for “loaded potatoes” like these Fajita Potato Nachos.
Slice the potatoes thinly, crisp in the air fryer, saute tender marinated steak and peppers, then load it up with cheese. Pair with a Double IPA like Bell’s Hopsolution, whip up some guacamole or top with sour cream for serving.
For more satisfying food and beer pairings visit BottomLeftoftheMitten.com.
Fajita Potato Nachos
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Marinade:
1 pound flank steak, sliced thinly
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Spanish paprika
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Potatoes:
4 russet potatoes, sliced thinly
1 tbs olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 medium red pepper
2 stalks green onions, sliced (saute the white root with the fajita meat, save the green tops for servings)
8 ounces shredded colby jack cheese
Instructions
Potatoes:
*The key to crispy potatoes is soaking the slices in water for up to 30 minutes before cooking.
Clean and slice the potatoes into thin slices.
Place in a clean bowl and cover with water. Let set for 30 minutes or up to one hour.
Drain the water then using a paper towel dry off the potatoes.
To the uncooked potatoes add olive oil and seasonings. Stir to coat the potatoes evenly.
Place the potatoes into the basket of the air fryer. Set the air fryer to 380 degrees and set for 25 minutes. Push “start.”
Check the potatoes after 10 minutes and, using a small spatula, flip the potatoes around. Slide the basket back in then perform the same action every 5 minutes for another 15 minutes.
Once the potatoes are done, turn the air fryer off and leave the potatoes in the basket.
Marinade:
Slice the steak thinly.
In a plastic bag, add all the ingredients for the marinade.
Place the steak in the bag and zip shut.
Put the steak in the fridge and let marinate for 30 minutes, or overnight.
In the final 10 minutes of cooking the potatoes in the air fryer, slice the peppers and green onions.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator and drain the marinade from the bag. Take the steak out and pat it dry.
In a cast iron pan (or an oven safe pan will work as well) heat the olive oil on medium/high heat.
Add the steak, peppers and onions to the pan. Cook until steak is slightly pink in the center and the peppers are still crunchy but cooked, 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the meat and peppers from the pan and place on a plate. In the same pan, add the cooked potatoes. Place the meat and peppers back into the pan on top of the potatoes.
Finally, sprinkle the cheese on top. Place into the oven under the broiler to melt the cheese for 3 to 5 minutes.
Don’t have an air fryer? After soaking the potatoes and drying them as noted, add 1 tbs olive oil to a pan and saute the potatoes over medium/high heat for 10 to 15 minutes until crispy, using a spatula to flip the potatoes often as they cook.
