Durban rebel creates an easy air-fryer Christmas lunch

LET’S get this out of the way: it’s an audacious thought, but I have to ask — for a friend, of course — can you really cook Christmas lunch in an air fryer?

If you live up north, where snowflakes create romance and ovens serve as extra heaters, then sweating over a hot stove is part of the charm. But in Durban, by the time you’ve browned the turkey, you're likely to be a big, hot, miserable mess. 

Enter Lousia Holst, veteran food professional and airfryer aficionado. She also has three books to her name, on - you’ve guessed right - airfryer cooking.

First it was the South African Airfryer Cookbook, then The South African Air Fryer Cookbook 2, and now her latest offering, the 30-Minute Air-fryer Cookbook, which is what we’re paging through to give us ideas for a quick, fuss-free Christmas lunch. 

Holst uses her countertop ‘magic machine’ every day, and says everyone in her house looks forward to a tasty home-cooked meal. Because she loves the children to be involved in the cooking, she develops recipes that are quick, easy, and blessedly low on drama.  

So, can you cook a variety of festive dishes in just 30 minutes a meal? Well, she has several sumptuous recipes in her latest book that could make the festive season a helluva lot easier in the heat. 

But there are a few golden rules: 

Always preheat the air fryer

Brush or spray ingredients with a bit of oil before adding spice 

Don't overload the air fryer basket

She also prefers not to use paper liners because the recipes that work best are the ones that need the air to circulate around ingredients to keep them crisp. 

This year, the airfryer isn’t just a gadget — it’s the unsung hero of the Christmas kitchen. And honestly? Between the heat, the chaos, and the inevitable festive sweat, it might just be the real star on top of the tree. The 30-Minute South African Air-Fryer Cookbook retails for R380. 

Here are some of Holt’s quick and easy air fryer dishes that are eye-catching and simple, yet interesting enough to lay on a Xmas feast. 

Roasted butternut and cottage cheese salad

Cooking time: 20 mins

Airfryer temperature: 180°C

Ingredients: 

1x500g pack cubed butternut, cut into smaller pieces

30ml olive oil

1x250g pack cherry tomatoes, halved 

½ red onion thinly sliced

1x80g pack rocket or baby salad leaves

1x250g tub chunky cottage cheese

50ml toasted mixed seeds or pumpkin seeds

Handful of fresh basil leaves 

Sundried tomato dressing

10ml Dijon mustard

10ml apple cider vinegar

60ml olive oil

40ml chopped marinated sundried tomatoes

Method

Preheat the airfryer to 180°C. Drizzle the butternut with olive oil and put into the basket of the airfryer. Cook for 15-20mins until tender. Toss halfway through the cooking time.

Sundried Tomato dressing: While the butternut is cooking, prepare the dressing. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Remove the butternut from the air fryer. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then add half the dressing and stir to coat.

Put the tomatoes, red onion, rocket leaves, and butternut on a platter. Top with spoonfuls of the cottage cheese. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and sprinkle with toasted seeds and basil leaves. Serve immediately. 

Sticky chilli lamb chops with cumin potatoes

Serves 4

Preparation time:15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes 

Airfryer temperature: 200°C

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

50ml canola oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 fresh chillis, seeded and chopped

15ml grated fresh ginger

30ml Worcestershire sauce

15ml garlic and chilli sauce or sweet chilli sauce

3ml cumin seeds

6-8 lamb rib chops

Salad and fresh coriander, to serve

Method:

Put the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10minutes or until just tender.

Meanwhile, mix 15ml of the oil with the garlic, ginger, chillies, Worcestershire sauce and chilli sauce. Pour over the lamb chops and set aside until the potatoes are done.

Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Drain the potatoes and drizzle with the remaining oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add the cumin seeds. Put the potatoes into the airfryer basket and cook for 12 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

Place the chops on top of the potatoes and cook for three minutes. Turn the chops over and cook for a further 5-7 minutes until cooked to your liking. Serve immediately with a salad and fresh coriander on the side. 

Caramel fruit tart

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Airfryer temperature: 170°C

Ingredients:

1x250g sheet of ready-made puff pastry

1 large egg, whisked 

250ml cream

1x360g tin caramel treat

250g strawberries sliced

2 ripe plums or nectarines, pitted and sliced

100ml chopped pistachios or pecan nuts

Edible flowers, to decorate

Method:

1.Preheat the air fryer to 170°C. Cut the pastry to the same size as your air-fryer basket and place it onto a sheet of baking paper. Use a sharp knife to score a 2-cm border around the edge of the pastry. Use a fork to prick small holes in the middle section of the pastry (within the border). Brush with egg, then put the pastry into the air fryer and cook for 15 minutes.

2. After 15 minutes, turn the pastry over, remove the baking paper, and discard. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from the airfryer and set aside to cool. 

3. Just before serving, whip cream until stiff. Stir a large spoonful of cream into the caramel. Spoon dollops of the caramel and whipped cream onto the pastry and swirl together with a spoon. Top with the sliced fruit, sprinkle with nuts and decorate with edible flowers. Serve immediately.