Sweet Potato, Egg & Chilli Hash
Diced sweet potato goes craggy at the edges, then you push it into four mounds and crack the eggs straight into the basket.
Why it works
Cutting the sweet potato into 1.5 cm dice gives enough surface area to crisp in thirteen minutes, roughly half what a wedge would need. The eggs go in for the last five minutes and set on top of hot vegetables rather than bare metal, so the whites cook through while the yolks stay loose.
Method
- Heat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F).
- Tip the sweet potato, onion and pepper straight into the basket. Add the oil, paprika, cumin, chilli flakes and salt, and toss with your hands until every piece is rust-coloured.
- Air fry for 8 minutes, shaking hard at 4 minutes. The dice should be tender when pressed and browning at the corners.
- Shake once more, then use the back of a spoon to push the hash into four rough mounds with a dip in each. Crack two eggs into each dip.
- Air fry for a final 5 minutes. The whites should be opaque right up to the yolk and the yolks should still wobble; give it one more minute if you want them firm.
- Scatter with spring onion and coriander and serve straight from the basket with lime wedges.
For the toddler
This one needs very little. At step 2, hold back a handful of sweet potato and pepper before the chilli flakes and salt go in, toss them with plain oil and cook them in one corner of the basket. Give theirs the extra minute at step 5 so the yolk sets firm rather than running. Squash the sweet potato with a fork and cut the pepper into soft strips.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Butternut squash or waxy new potatoes work on the same timer. For more smoke, add another ½ tsp paprika and a pinch of caraway.
Dice the vegetables the night before and keep them covered in the fridge — prep drops to a minute.
A tin of drained black beans stirred in at the shaking stage, or warm corn tortillas alongside.
The hash keeps 3 days chilled and re-crisps in 4 minutes at 200°C (400°F). Cook the eggs fresh.