One-Basket Air-Fryer Sausage and Potatoes
This is the dinner I make when the fridge is looking bare and I have zero ambition. Smoked sausage and potatoes, one basket, dump-and-go. The only thing to know is that potatoes cook slower than sausage, so you give them a head start and add the sausage partway through. Come back to fork-tender potatoes and browned, crispy-edged sausage, with one basket to wash. That is a weeknight win in my book.
Why this one is so easy
Everything cooks in one basket, no pan and no oven heating up the kitchen.
It is genuinely dump-and-go once you know to start the potatoes first.
Smoked sausage means the only real doneness question is the potatoes, so it is hard to mess up.
Della's tips
Cut the potatoes small and even, 3/4 to 1 inch. Too big and they are still hard when the sausage is done.
Give the potatoes a 15-minute head start before the sausage goes in. This is the single most important step.
Do not crowd the basket. For genuinely crispy potatoes, cook in two batches or drop to a pound. Air has to circulate.
Shake the basket every 5 to 6 minutes for even browning.
Make it your own
+ Cajun: swap the seasoning for a Cajun blend, or use andouille and add a pinch of cayenne.
+ Add veggies: toss in onion chunks or bell pepper with the sausage in the second stage.
+ Lighter: use smoked turkey or chicken sausage.
If you are out of something
Russet or Yukon gold potatoes work if cut into even bite-size pieces. Baby reds cook fastest.
Kielbasa, Polish, andouille, or a smoked turkey or chicken sausage.
Raw Italian sausage works too, just cook it to 160F and add it earlier.
Cut the potatoes and slice the sausage up to a day ahead. Keep the cut potatoes submerged in water so they do not brown, then drain and dry them well before cooking. Leftovers keep three to four days in an airtight container and reheat at 350F in the air fryer for about 5 minutes to bring the crisp back.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Toss the potatoes with the oil and all the seasonings until coated.
Add the potatoes to the basket and cook at 400F for 15 minutes, shaking at the halfway mark. They need the head start because they cook slower than the sausage.
Add the sausage coins, and the onion if using, right on top. Toss, then cook another 5 to 8 minutes, shaking once, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the sausage is browned at the edges.
If you are using raw Italian sausage instead of smoked, add it earlier, after the potatoes' first 5 minutes, and cook it to 160F. Serve hot.
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Questions, answered
Potatoes take longest, so they go in first. Smoked sausage only needs the last 5 to 8 minutes to heat through and brown.