Hedgehog or hasselback potatoes in the Airfryer
Hedgehog or hasselback potatoes are easy to make in the air fryer
I have childhood memories of using a fork to make krimpvarkie aartappels (Afrikaans for hedgehog potatoes), which in mainstream English are called hasselback potatoes, named after a Swedish restaurant by the same name that made this way of preparing potatoes famous.
Making hasselback potatoes in the air fryer saves time, and crisps them up without needing to use too much olive oil.
Ingredients to make Crispy Hedgehog Potatoes in the Air Fryer
4-5 whole potatoes
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Maldon Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper for seasoning
How to Prepare Hedgehog Potatoes in the Air Fryer
Leaving the skin on the potatoes, use a sharp knife to cut thin, fan-like slices about halfway through the potato.
By not cutting them all the way, the potatoes stay intact but the salt and olive oil can go inbetween the slices, giving flavour and crispiness all the way through.Season generously with Maldon salt and freshly ground pepper.
Preheat the air fryer to about 180 degrees Celsius (about 360 degrees Fahrenheit), then add the potatoes to the basket and leave in the air fryer for about 30 mins or until golden brown.
You can eat your krimpvarkies or hedgehog or Hasselback potatoes straight away, and keep leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days. To reheat, you can microwave the leftovers, but if you want to serve them up crispy it is better to air fry them at the same temperature for about ten minutes.
I served these with a generous portion of slices of medium-rare rump steak, and some pan-fried asparagus and mushrooms.
Enjoy! Please tag me on Instagram if you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to see it! Or subscribe to my newsletter to receive new recipes in your inbox.
More How-To Recipes
Below the newsletter block, you will find some more How-to Recipes where I explain step-by-step how to cook a great meal!
If you love eating risotto at a restaurant, but you’ve never cooked your own, you should follow these steps to make the best risotto. Back to my South African roots, you can make a good South African potjie too! If, after cooking this rump steak, you want to learn how to prepare an ostrich steak, I’ve got you covered as well. And while you have the fire going, why not make a braai broodjie?
About Shawn Godfrey
Photo credit: Niki M Photography
Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.
On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).
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I have childhood memories of using a fork to make krimpvarkie aartappels (Afrikaans for hedgehog potatoes), which in mainstream English are called hasselback potatoes, named after a Swedish restaurant by the same name that made this way of preparing potatoes famous. Making these potatoes in the air fryer saves time, and crisps them up without needing to use too much olive oil.