An Air Fryer Is The Perfect Tool For Bringing Life To Canned Potatoes

Whether mashed or fried, potatoes remain a beloved vegetable that's very close to our hearts. But honestly? Sometimes they take too long to cook. Trying to get roasted potatoes crisped to perfection can be an hour-long process. While they're worth the wait, impatience can take over, making you take them out of the oven before they're ready to go. Thankfully, an air fryer and a can of potatoes can deliver perfectly crisp potatoes in a fraction of the time.

Admittedly, canned potatoes may not be most people's first choice. With the real thing being so accessible in grocery stores, why not take the fresh option? However, when you're craving crunchy potatoes and don't want to spend too long in the kitchen, canned potatoes are your best bet. Once they're tossed in olive oil and you've spruced them up with your favorite spices, they'll taste just like the real thing.

Oven-baked canned potatoes are delicious, but the air fryer elevates them to another level. Due to the high heat and speed of air fryers, they give potatoes a crispier coating in a shorter amount of time. Additionally, canned potatoes are already partially cooked, so there's no need to keep them in the air fryer for too long. After you've patted them dry, coat them in oil and spices and air fry them for about 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown.

With a side of crispy canned potatoes coming together so quickly in the air fryer, they should be paired together with other quick, simple meals. For example, you can whip up a side of spicy breakfast potatoes to pair with masala egg bhurji. Simply slice the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and cover them in ground cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and ground bay leaves before heating them in the air fryer.

Then, for dinner, use your leftover canned potatoes to pair with this quick and easy brown butter shrimp pasta. Garlic and onion powder, as well as savory herbs like thyme and parsley, make the potatoes taste incredible with the buttery shrimp pasta. Reserve some brown butter to use on the canned potatoes, lending them a rich, nutty taste.

You can also smash your canned potatoes and serve them with this hearty instant pot spaghetti. Nothing tastes better than savory ground beef and rich tomato sauce with cheesy, spicy potatoes. While the spaghetti is cooking in the instant pot, toss the potatoes in salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and thyme. Once they're evenly coated, smash them and cover them in Parmesan cheese for a nice, crispy exterior.