Crispy, spiral potatoes brushed with butter, garlic and herbs. Air fryer tornado potatoes are a fun way to serve potatoes. The crispy potato slices pull apart easily making them perfect for dipping. They make a great side dish or appetizer.
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What are Tornado Potatoes?
Tornado potatoes are potatoes that have been skewered, then sliced into a spiral before being brushed with garlic butter and air fried until crisp.
They are similar to hasselback potatoes, except instead of simply being sliced the potato is made into one, long spiral.
Because the potato slices have more separation than hasselback potatoes they cook quicker and turn out crisper.
They are a fun way to serve potatoes as a side dish. The crispy spirals are easy to pull apart making them great for dipping.
Or you can serve them like a baked potato and top them with sour cream, onions, bacon, or whatever your heart desires.
Ingredients
To make these crispy spiralled potatoes you will need:
- Small to medium size potatoes
- Melted butter
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Dried parsley flakes
- Sea salt flakes or coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Sea salt flakes are similar to coarse sea salt, except they are a bit flatter. They are not as hard as granules of coarse salt, making them easier to bite. They add a nice, salty crunch to foods and are perfect as a finishing salt.
Instructions
To begin, mix the melted butter, olive oil, parsley and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
Next, carefully insert a skewer into the middle of each potato. Then, using a small, sharp knife, carefully cut around the potato forming a spiral. To do this hold the knife at a slight angle then turn the potato as you cut. You are looking to make spirals of about ¼ inch thickness.
Once you have cut the spirals, gently pull them apart and spread the potato the length of the skewer.
Then, using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter mixture all over the potato getting paying attention to get it in between the spirals.
Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket, set the air fryer to 390°F and cook the potatoes for 20-22 minutes until golden and crisp.
I use the metal skewers from my air fryer accessory kit, but you can use any small skewers that fit in the air fryer basket. I like the kit because it comes with a few useful pieces of cookware that fit the air fryer perfectly.
Remove the potatoes from the air fryer and serve on the skewers, or gently push the potatoes off the skewers with a fork.
Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, and chopped herbs or parmesan cheese if desired.
Pro Tip – If you find the potatoes hard to cut you can par-cook the them before skewering and cutting them. Poke a couple holes in the potatoes and pop them in the microwave for a couple of minutes to soften them. This will also reduce the air fryer time by a few minutes.
Serving Suggestions
We like to serve these crispy tornado potatoes garnished with fresh parmesan cheese, chopped herbs and some sea salt flakes. Sometimes I’ll brush them with a bit more garlic butter before serving as well.
I like to pull them apart and dip them in ranch, or spicy mayo. But you can also serve these just like a baked potato and load them up with all of your favourite toppings such as sour cream, cheese, chopped bacon or green onion.
If served with a dip you could add them to an appetizer platter, but they make a great side dish with any meal where potatoes are normally served.
They’d be great with pork chops, chicken drumsticks, or even grilled steak.
FAQS
You can reheat the leftovers in the air fryer. Set the air fryer to 350°F and heat for 3-5 minutes until hot and crisp.
More Easy Potato Recipes
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Printable Recipe
Air Fryer Tornado Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Potatoes russet or yellow
- 2 tbsps melted butter
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- sea salt flakes or coarse sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, olive oil, garlic powder and parsley flakes. Set aside.
- Carefully push a skewer through the centre of each potato.
- Using a small, sharp knife, carefully cut the potatoes into a spiral. Hold the knife at a slight angle and slowly turn the potato as you cut around. The spiral slices should be about ¼ inch wide.
- After you have cut around the entire potato, gently pull the slices apart along the length of the skewer.
- Brush the melted butter over the potatoes paying attention to getting it between all of the spirals.
- Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket, set the temperature to 390°F and cook for 20-22 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and golden.
- Remove from the potatoes from the air fryer and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. If desired, garnish with parmesan cheese or chopped herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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