J’Something shows us how to make an entire Christmas feast using an air fryer

They don’t call December the silly season for no reason – it is an extremely busy time of the year, when the malls are filled with hundreds of people doing Christmas shopping and buying the ingredients for their festive feasts.

While some people love spending hours creating delectable dishes for their family and guests in the kitchen, others simply just don’t have the time to spend the whole day in front of the stove.

The great news is that you don’t have to. If you have an air fryer, your Christmas lunch can be ready in under two hours. And the best part of all is that you won’t have a mountain of pots and pans to wash when you are done with the cooking.

Philips recently partnered with award-winning artist, cook, guitarist and vocalist, J’Something, who hosted a virtual Philips Festive Masterclass to help South Africans make their festive season prep and cooking a breeze.

“Good food is an integral part of the festive season but sometimes we are not fully present at special gatherings because we are in the kitchen preparing the celebratory meal. This Masterclass is intended to be the cooking experience that will change all that and will demonstrate how to prepare an impressive festive feast in less time but not compromising flavour using our Philips Airfryers,” said Philips country lead for Africa, Troy Gower, at the event.

If you have young kids, investing in an air fryer will be your saving grace.

“Our air fryer has been transformative for us as a family, it gets used in our household every day,” says J’Something.

You can cook everything in there from an omelette and fried chips to fish fingers and even grilling a steak.

ALSO SEE: Five recipes you did not know you could make in an air fryer

The great thing about using an air fryer to cook is that you don’t need a lot of oil, you only need to coat your food in a little bit of oil or spray and cook.

Try these quick and easy air fryer recipes to bring some festive cheer to your family:

Classic rolled leg of lamb

Gone are the days of long laborious cooking times, forget 3 hours for roast lamb, how about done in 20 minutes?

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 4

Meal: Main

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes + extra depending on doneness preference

Ingredients:

• 500g butterflied lamb leg
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of rosemary, fresh
• 1 teaspoon of thyme, fresh
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder

Method:

1. Mix olive oil with all the herbs, pepper, salt, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
2. Pat lamb dry and place into the herb oil mixture, turning it to ensure it is well coated.
3. Place lamb in air fryer basket, and air fry at 180°C for 15 minutes, for medium lamb, if you like it more well-done cook for additional 3-minute intervals.
4. Remove roast lamb from the air fryer, cover with foil and leave to rest for five minutes before serving.
5. Carve against the grain to serve.

Salt cod croquettes 

This popular Portuguese snack might take a little time to make but the end result is so satisfying that you’ll be making them more often than not.

Difficulty: Medium

Makes: 24-30

Meal: Starter/Appetizer/Snack

Preparation Time: 24 ½ hours including soaking time

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500g skinless and boneless salted cod, soaked
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 garlic cloves, 3 smashed and 5 minced
• 500g potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups fine breadcrumbs
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, cover the salt cod with cold water and soak in the refrigerator for 24 hours or for up to 2 days. Change the water at least three times.
2. Drain the salt cod, transfer to a large saucepan.
3. Add the milk, thyme, bay leaf and smashed garlic.
4. Pour in enough water to cover the fish.
5. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the fish flakes with a fork.
6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish to a plate, let it cool and then flake the fish.
7. Add the potatoes to the same saucepan and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
8. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a large bowl along with 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and mash.
9. Add the remaining garlic into the bowl with the potatoes, add the salt cod, parsley, paprika and egg yolk and stir until blended.
10. Refrigerate the mixture until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
11. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with 1 teaspoon of water.
12. Put the flour and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls.
13. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
14. Form the salt cod mixture into golf ball sizes/oval shapes.
15. Dredge the balls in flour, dip them in the beaten eggs and coat with the bread crumbs.
16. Arrange the croquettes on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until chilled, about 10 minutes.
17. Spray them evenly with Spray & Cook and then add them to the air fryer basket and air fry at 200°C for 8 minutes.
18. Remove from the air fryer and serve warm, with a dip of your choice.

Whole roasted cauliflower with tahini dressing

Golden, caramelised deliciousness, perfect as a main or a side dish

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 2-4

Meal: Main/Sides

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted (or dairy-free butter alternative*)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of harissa spice
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the tahini dressing

• Quarter cup of tahini
• 3 tablespoons of water, more if needed
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• Quarter teaspoon of salt

ALSO SEE: 10 mouthwatering cauliflower dishes to try this week

Method:

1. Brush the cauliflower head with olive oil.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the butter, oil, salt, pepper, and harissa spice.
3. Completely coat the cauliflower head with the seasoning mix and then place it into the air fryer basket.
4. Cook at 180°C for 15 minutes.
5. When done, the cauliflower should be tender. If not add 5 minutes at a time until you get to this point.
6. To make the tahini dressing, whisk together the tahini, water, lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic, and salt until smooth. (If the dressing is too thick, add more water, ½ tablespoon at a time, until it’s a consistency you like)
7. Remove the cauliflower from the air fryer and serve with a squeeze of the lemon juice and drizzle over the dressing.

Portuguese custard tarts (Easy Pastéis De Nata)

Crispy pastry and creamy custard make these as close to authentic Portuguese custard tarts as possible.

Difficulty: Medium

Makes: 12

Meal: Dessert

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500ml cream    
• 1 ½ cups sugar 
• 6 egg yolks      
• 1 cinnamon stick          
• 1 tablespoon of flour       
• 1 package frozen all butter puff pastry, defrosted 
• Ground cinnamon, to garnish

Method:

1. Place the sugar and 6 egg yolks in a saucepan and mix them together with a spoon.
2. Add the cream and the cinnamon stick.
3. Place the flour in a small bowl. Take some of the cream mixture and stir into the flour until it forms a thick creamy consistency without lumps.
4. Then add the flour mixture to the cream in the saucepan.
5. Gently heat for about 5 minutes allowing it to thicken to the consistency of custard.
6. Roll the pastry up like a swiss roll and then slice into 1cm discs.
7. Place the discs into silicone individual muffin moulds and shape the pastry to line the moulds.
8. Pour the custard mixture into the moulds and place the moulds into the basket of the air fryer.
9. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes then take the temperature up to 200°C to get the darker tops, (about 2 minutes).
10. Remove from the air fryer and sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

Recipes brought to you by Philips and developed by J’Something and That Food Guy Group.