Sausage, peas and mash are a classic combo.Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
I grew up in the heyday of the Easy-Bake Oven, that seemingly magical plastic appliance that could bake a pancake-thin cake with the heat of incandescent bulbs in the comfort of your own bedroom.
From a grown-up perspective, air fryers seem to have a similar appeal: a tiny oven that you can operate with the press of a button, requires no preheating and is actually effective in cooking anything from a small cake to a fish fillet.
An air fryer does not actually fry food – the definition of frying is to cook food in hot fat or oil – but bakes it using dry heat, circulating the air as a convection oven does to ensure even temperature distribution. The fan also dries the surface of whatever it is you’re cooking, which allows for better browning, thus the marketing angle of “air frying.”
Anything that can be baked in an oven can be baked in smaller quantities in an air fryer. Its size makes it perfect for cooking for one or two people without needing to engage a large oven, saving both time and energy. An air fryer is also ideal for reheating leftovers you’d like to be crispier than a microwave could produce. And if you mix up a batch of cookie dough to keep in the fridge or freezer, you can make a little treat or two any time you have a craving. (Not everyone needs two dozen cookies at once, and they’re always better freshly baked.)
When making a meal for one in the air fryer, apply the same strategy you would use for a tray bake or sheet-pan meal: Cook small cuts of meat, fish or tofu along with cut veggies that will be ready in approximately the same amount of time. (Cut denser veggies into smaller pieces so that they cook more quickly.)
Sausage, peas and mash are a classic combo. Sausages are relatively inexpensive and already portioned to serve one or two (and are available in plenty of plant-based versions). Frozen peas are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and even protein – and there tends to be less waste with frozen produce.
Sausages with peas and kimchi mash for one
If you like, use the kettle to add boiling water to instant mashed potatoes or couscous, and then dress the carbs up with butter and/or jarred kimchi for an added burst of texture and flavour.
- 1 medium or 2 small potatoes
- Canola or other vegetable oil, for cooking
- Salt, to taste
- 1 or 2 sausages (any kind)
- 1/3 cup frozen green peas (or sliced or chopped peppers, broccolini, carrots or any other veggies you like)
- Butter or margarine, to taste
- A spoonful of kimchi
Scrub your potatoes well, rub them with oil and poke them a few times with a fork. Place them in the air fryer and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. Place the sausages alongside the potatoes and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes, turning the sausages if you think of it, until they are cooked through and the potatoes are tender.
Remove sausages and potatoes from the air fryer and pour the peas into the basket. Sprinkle with salt, shake them around in any residual sausage juices and cook for about five minutes at 350 F. Meanwhile, quarter and roughly mash the potatoes with a dab of butter and spoonful of kimchi. Serve the sausages on the mash, with peas or any other veg you’ve cooked on the side.
Serves one.