Preparation

The smashed potato trend usually relies on oven roasting, but the air fryer's intense heat creates even more surface area for crisping. Adding soy butter during the final minutes ensures it caramelizes into a glaze rather than burning.

Preparation

1. Boil baby potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
2. Place potatoes on a cutting board and gently smash each one with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup until about 1/2-inch thick. They should stay intact but create lots of craggy surface area.
3. Carefully transfer smashed potatoes to air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes until crispy.
4. Mix melted butter with soy sauce and mirin. Brush mixture over potatoes and air fry for another 5 minutes.
5. While potatoes finish, make nori salt by toasting nori sheets briefly until crispy, then crumbling and mixing with flaky salt.
6. Transfer crispy potatoes to a serving platter. Sprinkle with nori salt, sliced scallions, and sesame seeds.
7. Serve with Japanese mayo for dipping.

Maximum Crispification

Boiling first ensures fluffy interiors, while smashing creates exponentially more surface area for the air fryer to crisp. The soy-butter-mirin combination is essentially a simplified teriyaki that caramelizes on the potatoes' surfaces, creating sweet-salty-umami pockets throughout.