I Insist That You Fry These Vegetable Side Dishes in the Air Fryer.
Welcome to the Scammer’s Guide to Thanksgiving . While there is plenty of advice out there for people making desserts and artisan breads, The Con Man’s Guide is geared toward the individual who could use a helping hand, even from some unconventional sources. Some might call it “cheating” (as if that’s a bad thing), but there’s nothing wrong with using modern technology and supermarket know-how to create a stunning traditional feast – with far less of the traditional work involved.
The air fryer is the single appliance that has had the biggest impact on my Thanksgiving cooking. This countertop convection oven increases cooking speed and takes some of the pressure off my oven while it’s filled with poultry, pies and casseroles. While you may be familiar with its crisping ability for French fries and pizza wraps, an air fryer can do so much more. This is actually the best thing to use for roasted vegetable side dishes and I have to insist that you do it.
Even if you don’t like the idea of ”cheating” Thanksgiving, you can certainly appreciate a little help—it’s just a less traditional cooking machine. An air fryer can speed up long-frying of root vegetables and cook softer plants in the time it takes you to open the door four times. Here are my favorite Thanksgiving vegetable side dishes that air fry like a dream.
Stuffed mushrooms
I would love to have a plate of these mushrooms stuffed with sausage and cheese for lunch. (It’s not hard to do.) They’re great any time of year, but mushrooms really bring the coziness of harvest season. Buy whole cremini or white button mushrooms that look quite large. If you can manually select a batch from the cart, that’s even better. (Small mushrooms can still be stuffed, but some of the small ones are just ridiculous.)
Here is my recipe for fried stuffed mushrooms . They’re great as an appetizer or appetizer, but Thanksgiving warning: It’s hard to eat just one. And, unfortunately, you risk spoiling your appetite before a large meal. Instead, add them to your list of side dishes. Be sure to make a double batch or hide a few for yourself. You’ll thank me later.
Brussels sprouts
One of my favorite cruciferous vegetables is Brussels sprouts. They’re fibrous, filling, and go great with soft casseroles and purees. To beautifully serve roasted brussels with tender, charred outer leaves and a tender center, start by peeling the sprouts. This may involve trimming dried out woody stems, removing damaged outer leaves, or, if your Brussels plants are particularly stocky, cutting them in half lengthwise, trying to separate the stem so all the leaves remain attached.
Place the prepared sprouts in a bowl with a little salt and enough vegetable oil to lightly coat each piece. I usually pour a tablespoon of oil into the palm of my hand, rub my hands together, and then work through the mixture, coating and turning the sprouts until I feel like I’ve got them all. After mixing, the salt should evenly cover the sprouts. Place the sprouts in the air fryer in an even layer so they cook evenly (make two batches if necessary) and set to air fry for 10 to 15 minutes at 400°F. The Brussels are done when some of the outer leaves are crispy and blackened. , and the centers can be easily pierced with a knife. Toss them with a squeeze of lemon, fried garlic, a little olive oil and salt.
Sweet potato
The air fryer makes relatively quick work of these tough gems, and depending on the size of your potatoes and the air fryer, you can probably cook about six at a time. Either whole sweet potatoes or peeled and diced will cook quickly.
For whole potatoes, pierce the skins with a fork a few times and toss them in the fryer in a single layer, it’s okay if they are close together; they will shrink during cooking. Set the air fryer temperature to 375°F and cook the sweet potatoes for 20 to 35 minutes, depending on their size. They are done when you can easily pierce the potato with a paring knife all the way to the center.
First peel the sweet potato cubes and cut them into one-inch cubes. Place them in a bowl with enough vegetable oil to coat them well and sprinkle salt on top. Place the cubes in the air fryer in a single layer and cook at 375°F for about 10 minutes. The sweet potatoes are ready when they are soft.
green beans
Green beans may look skinny, but they can withstand the heat of the fryer just fine. However, they’re also easy to overcook if you’re leaving the kitchen, so test them ahead of time and see if you need to add a minute or so. To keep the beans tender, I like to use a quick, hot air-frying technique.
If necessary, trim the green beans and place them in a bowl, sprinkling with salt and enough oil to coat them thinly. Toss them with your hands to thoroughly coat each bean. Place green beans in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook them at 400°F for about five minutes and check them as they progress until they are cooked to your liking.
Chestnuts
Air roasted chestnuts make a great stuffing, a great appetizer or a wonderful end to a meal. They are easy and simple to prepare. You can read all the details here , but here’s the TL;DR. Cut the chestnuts with one long cut, running the entire length or width. There’s nothing special about it, but make sure you cut deep enough to get through the outer shell and fuzzy inner shell.
Place the chestnuts in the fryer, cut side up. Air fry them at 400°F for about 10 to 15 minutes. They are ready to eat when the shell is peeled and you can see a faint blush on the exposed inner flesh. Once cool, squeeze the side opposite the cracked part and the shell should come off easily.
Press
Cold weather pumpkins are one of my biggest favorite vegetables. Their firm, sweet flesh, usually brightly colored, is at its best when roasted and requires just a brush of salted brown sage butter to infuse it thoroughly.
Separate the squash (delicata, butternut and kabocha are all good) and remove the seeds. The skin of the pumpkin is edible, but some may remain thick and less tasty, so you can peel or leave it at your discretion. Cut the pumpkin into circles, strips or pieces of approximately the same size and thickness. Place them in a bowl with a little salt and enough vegetable oil to coat the pieces well. Mix it all together with your hands and place the pumpkin pieces in the fryer in a single layer. Air roast them at 400°F for eight to 20 minutes, depending on the squash and the size of the pieces. They are ready when they take on color and become soft.