With the cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills meaning many are trying to cut down where they can, air fryers have becoming incredibly popular.
Many now use the kitchen 'must have' instead of their oven when making meals, with the cost effective appliance a huge help when trying to cut costs. But with Christmas just around the corner, you may be worried about the cost of cooking the all important festive feast, especially if you have guests on December 25.
However, Aldi Scotland has developed a Christmas dinner recipe that can be made entirely in the air fryer to help customers trying to keep energy costs down. The supermarket giant has created alternative options with Great British Menu finalist and head chef of Edinburgh's Angel's with Bagpipes, Fraser Smith. From a beef joint to the perfect potatoes and red wine gravy, Fraser has tried and tested the methods to help make sure things can run smoothy, and cost efficiently, for households this Christmas.
READ MORE: Christmas dinner timings and tips from Scottish chefs for the perfect festive feast
Here are all the ingredients you will need and the recipes for the meat and all the trimmings...
How to make a full Christmas dinner in an air fryer
Ingredients:
- 4x large carrots
- 1x Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint
- 100g diced pancetta
- 600g brussels sprouts
- 750g baby potatoes
- 5g fresh thyme
- 1x bulb garlic
- 200ml red wine
- 10ml vegetable oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
For the roast:
- Wash four large carrots and place on the bottom of the air frying basket.
- Score the fat on the Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint, rub in salt and cracked black pepper and place on top of the carrots in the air fryer basket.
- Cut the garlic in half and place that, and half the thyme, in the basket.
- Put the Galloway Beef and carrots in the air fryer at 200°c for 10 mins then reduce the temp to 180°c. Cook for an additional 20 mins per 500g for rare, 25 mins per 500g for medium, and 30 mins per 500g for well done.
- While cooking, take time to baste the carrot and beef every half hour.
- Once the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the air fryer, cover in foil and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 20 mins.
- Place the carrots back in the fryer, at 200°c, until they are cooked – this usually take 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size.
For the Brussels sprouts:
- Prepare the sprouts by removing the outer leaves and cutting them in half.
- Place cut side up in the basket and cover with the chopped pancetta.
- Place in the air fryer at 180°c for 20 minutes.
For the potatoes:
- To prepare the hassleback potatoes, place the potato on a wooden spoon and make thin vertical slices through the potato being mindful not to cut all the way through – the wooden spoon should stop you cutting all the way through and splitting the potato.
- Brush the slices potatoes with oil and sprinkle over some of the remaining thyme sprigs.
- Place in air fryer at 200°c for 35 mins or until crispy.
- This can be done in advance and the potatoes reheated just before serving.
For the gravy:
- Make up some Aldi Specially Selected Beef Gravy as per instruction.
- Add a splash of red wine to a warm pan, and reduce by half. Add this to the pre-made gravy.
Chef Fraser said: “Airfryers offer a great alternative to oven cooking, they’re fast, compact and energy efficient. The results of cooking in them is the same as any oven, delicious and tender cooked meats and crispy delicious sides. I loved developing this recipe with Aldi and I hope others give it a try this festive season.:
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said: “We know that airfryers have soared in popularity this year and with energy costs still concerning families across Scotland we wanted to provide an alternative method to oven cooking Christmas dinner this year.
“Our take on a Christmas Dinner puts our limited edition Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint as the centre piece and provides a selection of delicious, family favourite sides.”
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