Alheira in the Air FryerWith Fried Egg and Chips

Alheira is a soft, garlicky smoked sausage from Trás-os-Montes, made with bread, poultry and usually pork, held together with olive oil and paprika. The classic way to eat it is alheira com ovo e batata frita: the sausage fried until the skin crackles, a fried egg with a runny yolk, and chips. Alheira de Mirandela has protected (IGP) status and is the best known.

The air fryer suits alheira well, because it crisps the casing without the sausage sitting in oil. Two things to get right: moderate heat, so the skin crisps before it bursts, and turning it halfway.

The recipe

Alheira in the Air FryerWith Fried Egg and Chips

Alheira in the air fryer: crisp-skinned Mirandela alheira with a fried egg and chips, the classic northern Portuguese plate, made with almost no oil.

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Prep10 min

Cook34 min

Total44 min

Serves2

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

2

½×1×2×3×

• 2 alheiras, ideally Alheira de Mirandela
• 500 g floury potatoes, cut into chips
• 2 eggs
• Olive oil for spraying and frying
• Salt
• Shredded greens (grelos or couve), sautéed in garlic and olive oil, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the cut chips in cold water and dry them very well. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C for 3 minutes. Air fry the chips for 18-20 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes, until golden. Tip them into a bowl and keep warm.
3. Lower the air fryer to 180 °C. Prick each alheira 3-4 times with a fine skewer and spray lightly with olive oil.
4. Air fry the alheiras at 180 °C for 6 minutes, turn them and cook for 5-6 minutes more, until the skin is crisp and the centre is piping hot (75 °C).
5. While the alheiras cook, fry the eggs in a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat, spooning hot oil over the whites until set and the yolks still runny.
6. Put the chips back in the air fryer for 2 minutes to re-crisp. Serve each alheira with an egg, chips and greens if using.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Why alheira is made with bread

It's often said that alheira was invented by Jewish families forced to convert in the 1500s, who made a sausage that looked like pork to avoid suspicion. It's a good story, but historians debate it, and today's alheiras almost always contain pork as well as poultry. Read more in our guide to Portuguese sausages.

Should you prick it?

Opinions differ in Portugal. Some cooks never prick alheira so it stays juicy. In the air fryer, a few small holes stop the casing splitting along its length, which is the more common problem. Use a fine skewer, not a fork.

What to serve with it

Egg and chips is the standard. In Trás-os-Montes you'll also see it with grelos (turnip tops) and a simple salad. A red wine from the Douro suits it. If you like it, try chouriço assado or feijoada à transmontana, from the same part of the country.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt Air Fryer

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