Poppy O'Toole's 'underrated' air fryer sprouts recipe with bacon and chestnuts

22 December 2023 , 07:00

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You can cook Brussels sprouts alongside other veggies (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Everyone is looking out for ways to make the process of making Christmas dinner easier - and if you have an air fryer, things are really looking up.

Michelin-trained chef Poppy O'Toole is a big fan of the handy kitchen appliance and she will be using it for an array of delicious foods on the day, including her Brussels sprouts. Recommending using an air fryer for most festive sides, she told said: "I'm going to be feeding a lot of people. There's not enough space to do everything, but what it's really good at is giving you the capability to do more stuff at the same time..

"So, you're not just relying on the oven and the hob – you've also got this other piece of equipment, which is amazing at cooking things and it can be done quicker and more energy efficiently."

Poppy will be putting her beloved air fryer to good use (Peter Medlicott/PinPep)

So how best to utilise your airfryer on Christmas Day? "It's really good for roasted parsnips, roasted carrots, sprouts or chestnuts,” according to Poppy. You can cook the parsnips and carrots together - "and then they can be ready and waiting for when you want them – you can get them into a tray, and once they're cooked, you can keep them at the bottom of the oven or in a tray that you can warm back up".

Poppy will even be using the air fryer to cook her sprouts with chestnuts and bacon - making it even easier, quicker and tastier. She explained: "Sprouts are underrated and can be such a delicious side – cooked right, they add texture, flavour and colour to a dish."

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Here's Poppy's recipe for perfect Brussels this Christmas.

Poppy O'Toole's Air fryer sprouts with chestnut and bacon

Ingredients

• 50g/3 tbsp butter, melted
• 500g/1lb 2oz fresh or frozen Brussels sprouts (if fresh, cut in half)
• 100g/3½oz bacon lardons
• 50g/1¾oz pre-cooked chestnuts, chopped
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the air fryer to 180C.

2. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter with the sprouts, season with salt and pepper and place in the air fryer basket. Add the bacon lardons.

3. Cook for 5 minutes then add the chestnuts. Cook for another 5–10 minutes, checking at 5-minute intervals until cooked to your liking.

And you can also use your air fryer for one of the most important parts of any Christmas dinner: "I've got to say roast potatoes are very good in there, and you don't have to pre-boil them – so that's given you more space on the hob," Poppy advised.

"Chop them up, get them in a bowl, add a tablespoon of water, a little bit of oil and salt – give it a mix, so we've got a bit of moisture on them. Then you get them into the air fryer and cook them about 160 or 170°C for about 20 to 30 minutes, so they're a little bit cooked, then you whack it up to about 200°C to get the golden crispy outside."

Poppy also revealed she will be using her air fryer to knock up some tasty pre-dinner treats. "I always like little nibbly bits on Christmas," she said. "It's something a little bit different around lunchtime, because I have my Christmas dinner a bit late – I have it more as a dinner around three, so around 12 you're getting a bit peckish. So I do some lovely little nibbles – like crispy wontons, spring rolls, samosas, that sort of thing. They're really tasty and fill everybody up, without having to do much."

If you're feeling industrious you can make these yourself, but they're just as delicious from frozen – and you can save all your cooking efforts for the main meal.

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And what about dessert? "Custard tarts – they're so simple and something about doing them in the oven is always terrifying to me, but being able to put them in the air fryer for literally a few minutes is perfect. That’s definitely something I'll be doing."

Will you be using your air fryer this Christmas? Let us know in the comments.

Gemma Strong