The one thing I’ve missed the most in lockdown are good, restaurant-quality fries, JoJos and Tater Tots. We’ve done takeaway a handful of times in the past 80 days of the stay at home order, but every time we have, the potatoes were soggy by the time we got them home and ate. Since potatoes=life, I made my husband research and then buy me an air fryer just so I could make potatoes at home. First up: JoJo potato wedges in the air fryer.
Our new air fryer
When my bright and shiny new Philips XXL Digital Airfryer arrived last Friday, the first thing we did was throw all the frozen foods at it. Of course, they were amazing. But, we already knew they would be. That’s why we bought it.
Then my husband suggested we actually make something from scratch and the church down the street was begging us to come take potatoes from a local farmer. So, it was basically kismet. JoJo potatoes, here we come.
We’ve done JoJos numerous times in our oven throughout the years and the results have always been one step above dismal. Since the air fryer’s most notable claim to fame is for potato products, I was hoping it would do better than my oven experience. Spoiler alert: it blew every oven-baked JoJo I’ve ever had out of the water.
How to make JoJo Potato Wedges in Air Fryer
Start by washing potatoes really well with a scrub brush. After they are clean, slice them into wedges.
Soak the sliced wedges for 30 minutes in cold water. Why soak? Soaking the sliced potatoes is the fundamental first step of making proper french fries. The soaking process removes the starch on the outside of the potato, which will help the fries achieve the perfect crispness.
Drain the potato wedges and then place the wet potatoes in the air fryer to fully dry them. Cook on manual at 250 degrees for 10 minutes until dry.
Once dry, place them in a bowl and add 1Tbs of oil as well as seasonings of your choice. Shake them up quite a bit to really coat the potatoes.
Place the oiled and seasoned potatoes in the air fryer and cook at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, shaking once and adding a little more seasoning while cooking.
Potato perfection
Just look at this perfectly cooked JoJo. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside seeing a perfectly cooked potato for the first time since stay at home orders.
Side note: Our potatoes were huge and I was more than a little worried that they were going to be terrible because they wouldn’t cook all the way through, but that wasn’t an issue for us in the Philips XXL. The JoJos were the perfect amount of crispy outside and fluffy center that makes JoJos amazing, and the air fryer rocked at the thick cut size.
Also, you may noticed that we filled the air fryer pan all the way because I’m impatient and didn’t want to cook two batches. A lesser air fryer might not be able to handle this kind of load. Check first, and maybe don’t be like me on that front.
When JoJos are done, sprinkle with your favorite herbs. We divided ours up into three bowls and added rosemary to one, chives to another, and dill on the last one. They were all amazing, and it made me really appreciate our little herb garden out back.
I don’t need a 5000 word essay about the history of potato and jojos. Just the recipe please
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