I resisted buying an ‘air fryer’ for so long, as I thought they were a bit of a gimmick and couldn’t really come close to traditional methods. How wrong was! After three years of testing, I chose to go with two Ninja combi versions that also steam, pressure cook, bake etc etc. I now have a lot of experience on how versatile they are; crispy food, no need to use oil or minimum use of oil. easy pressure cooking for pulses and veggies, the Ninja combi crisp genius combo, the list goes on. All of this with low power consumption, and so fast at heating up, even on the bake setting. For those of you that still aren’t keen, I’ll provide the traditional settings as well, but if you are curious on how to make the most of these amazing gadgets, then hopefully my recipes will inspire you. Anyway, here is the first one. This is using my Ninja combi 14 in 1 multi cooker, oven and air fryer. This model has a handy window so you can see what’s happening with your food.

These potato cakes are a bit like the Indian vada pav. They absolutely shine when air fried but would work equally well in an oven or deep fried.

Makes about 8 cakes, or more or less depending on how large or small you want them! All veg is M&S from Ocado

You’ll need:

3 medium potatoes or equivalent

1 cup of frozen peas, or 1/2 cm squared carrot that has been part boiled in water for about 5 mins

1 tsp each of: curry powder, cumin, turmeric

A pinch of chilli powder or 1/2 tsp of finely chopped fresh chilli (with our without seeds)

2 tsp of organic butter (I used Yeo Valley)

4 x tsp of organic flour

A handful of chopped fresh coriander

1/2 tsp salt

Oil to very lightly drizzle over cakes (I used Mr Organic rapeseed)

How to:

Chop the potatoes into roughly 2cm pieces, boil until tender, then mash with the butter (or vegan equiv) leave until cool

Then blend the mash with everything else except the oil.

Form into cakes, mine were about 4cm round diameter

Place on a baking tray

Drizzle with oil

Air fry for about 15 mins on 200c, check after 10 mins ( this depends on your make/model so keep checking). If they aren’t crispy enough, just add 3 mins more and repeat. I don’t need to turn things over in my Ninja, but you might, so just keep an eye on everything. Or bake in a 200C oven for a similar time, or deep fry until crispy and golden.

Leave to cool before removing from the tray. Serve with rice or salad, in a bun, however you like!

Enjoy.