Air Fryer Frozen Potato Gems

These potato gems (tater tots) were from Woolies. The home-brand ones are called "Potato Minis", and I can't really tell the difference between the home-brand and branded potato gems. Both equally great.

Potato Gems or Tater Tots or Potato Minis?

• Potato gems = Australian
• Tater Tots = American
• Potato Minis = Some weird home-brand Australian name

They're the same thing. Just different names.

How to air fry potato gems

I air fried them until they were golden brown, took about 15 minutes. You may want to cook them for a little longer or less until they get that nice color.

Quick and easy to air fry. I like to give the basket a little shake halfway through to make sure they are evenly fried. Then once they're done I'll sprinkle a little sea salt on top. Ate them with a little tomato and bbq sauce.

These were the home-brand potato gems I bought from Woolies

Add potato gems into air fryer

You'll want an even layer of potato gems in your air fryer basket.

I... definitely over filled this basket! But I like my potato gems with a slightly softer crunch and also I love potato gems so needed an extra helping.

Oil before you fry

You'll want to oil up your potato gems before frying them. Quickest method is just to use a good light oil spray. Then give the basket a shake, and then another blast of oil. They should be all greased up and ready to fry.

Otherwise, if you don't have spray oil, just toss them in a bowl with oil. I used to do the bowl method religiously with everything I air fried. But it's just another dish to clean up, and c'mon, the main reason you're using an air fryer is for the simplicity.

So I suggested spray oil all the way. Just make sure it's a neutral high temp oil, not extra virgin olive!

Now that they're greased up. Air fry at 200°C / 400°F for 10 min.

Give the basket a shake to turn everything. Then air fry for a further 5 minutes.

They should turn out golden brown with a decent crunch. But you may want to fry them a little longer/less depending on the crispiness you're chasing.

Dishing up Potato Gems

Give them a decent sprinkling of salt. I like to throw them into a bowl with sea salt then give them a toss. This way each piece is evenly coated in salt.

But, yes, if you don't want to do more dishes than you need (-_-), then just plate them up and salt them there. They'll still taste good.

You probably should eat these with a healthy side of chicken and veg, but I like to devour them as is with just some sauce. Dual saucing here with BBQ and tomato sauce.

The inside is soft, and airy with a slightly crispy edge. But full disclosure, you won't get that same 'deep fried' crisp from an air fryer. You can get pretty close, and they're still really tasty. It's just a slightly different result.

I do like them since it uses way less oil, and very convenient to cook with an air fryer.