Batatas a murro are among the simplest and best dishes in Portuguese cooking. Small potatoes are rubbed with coarse salt and baked whole with the skins on until they are completely tender. Each potato then gets a light smack with the palm of your hand so the skin splits, and finally they are crisped up with olive oil, crushed garlic and bay leaves. The result is a salty, crisp skin, a soft centre and golden edges where the garlic oil has collected.
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In Portugal they are the classic side dish for bacalhau (salt cod), but I serve them just as often with grilled meat and chicken. When you make batatas a murro in the air fryer, the skin turns crisp all the way round, and you avoid heating up a big oven for a tray of potatoes.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love batatas a murro in the air fryer
This is a side dish with character. Ordinary baked potatoes can be a little anonymous, but the smack gives batatas a murro two textures in the same bite: the crisp, salty skin and the soft potato flesh that peeks out through the cracks. When the garlic oil is poured over the split potatoes, it runs into the potato instead of staying on the outside, so every bite tastes of olive oil and garlic.
The dish is also gluten-free and completely vegan, so it fits in at most tables. Six ingredients and no pot of boiling water – it is hard to find a more rewarding side dish.
Why the air fryer is a good fit for punched potatoes
Traditionally, the potatoes are baked in the oven, often on a bed of coarse salt. The air fryer does the same job in far less space. The hot air circulates tightly around the small potatoes, so the salted skin dries out and turns crisp on all sides while the inside becomes tender. In the second round, the heat hits the oil directly in the cracks, and in 10 minutes the edges turn golden and crisp.
My kitchen test of batatas a murro
I made batatas a murro in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below the basket. At 200 °C, the whole potatoes got 25 minutes with a shake halfway through. Then came the knife test: the knife should glide easily through the largest potato before you smack them. After the smack and the garlic oil, they got 10 more minutes at 200 °C, and because the heat also comes from below, the undersides took on colour even though the potatoes sat still with the cracks facing up.
With 10 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes in the air fryer, they are ready in 45 minutes in total. 800 g of small potatoes take up quite a bit of room, and in my Philips XXL the split potatoes sit in a single layer. If you have a smaller air fryer, do the second round in two batches.
Lay a clean tea towel over the potatoes before you smack them. It protects your palm from the heat and holds the skin together, so the potato splits neatly instead of turning into mash. A light smack is enough – it should flatten a little but still hold together.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is smacking the potatoes before they are completely tender. A half-cooked potato does not split, it crumbles, so always do the knife test on the largest potato, and give them 3-5 more minutes at 200 °C if the knife meets resistance. The next mistake is pressed garlic, which burns quickly in the hot air and turns bitter, while whole, crushed cloves – preferably with the skins on – become soft and mild. The third mistake happens in the second round: if you shake the basket, the split potatoes fall apart, and if you stack them, they do not get crisp. Lay them in a single layer with the cracks facing up, leave the basket alone, and tuck the bay leaves down between the potatoes so they do not blow up against the heating element.
How to serve batatas a murro
Batatas a murro are made for fish and meat from the oven or grill. My favourites:
- Oven-baked salt cod with plenty of olive oil and garlic (bacalhau à lagareiro) – the Portuguese classic
- Grilled sardines with lemon
- Oven-baked or grilled octopus
- Chicken, pork chops or a good steak from the grill
- A fresh salad with tomato, red onion and olives that cuts through the richness
To vary it, add a sprig of rosemary to the oil, or sprinkle with smoked paprika before the second round.
Storage and reheating
Batatas a murro taste best straight from the basket, but leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 5-7 minutes, until they are crisp and hot again. The dish is not suitable for freezing, as both texture and colour deteriorate.
Batatas a murro show how far you can get with potatoes, coarse salt and a good olive oil. Try them the next time you cook fish, and see how quickly the dish empties.
FAQ
Murro means a punch in Portuguese. The name comes from the light smack with the palm of the hand that the tender potatoes get, so the skin splits.
Use small potatoes of about 4-5 cm, and choose them in roughly the same size so they become tender at the same time. The skin should stay on, because the salty, crisp skin is an important part of the dish.
Batatas a murro are baked whole with the skins on, get a smack so they split, and are crisped with garlic oil. Spanish patatas a lo pobre are cut into slices and fried with onion and bell pepper.
Recipe
Batatas a murro in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Chefs knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Kitchen towel
- 1 Turner
- 1 Serving platter
Shopping list
Ingredients
Garlic oil
- 6 tbsp olive oil (Ideally extra virgin)
- 6 clove garlic (Crushed, skins can stay on)
- 2 bay leaves (Can be left out)
- black pepper (Freshly ground, to taste)
How to make it
Preparation
- Wash 800 g small potatoes thoroughly under cold water and scrub the skins clean. The potatoes are used whole, with the skins on.
- Crush 6 clove garlic with the flat side of a chef’s knife – the skins can stay on. Mix the garlic with 6 tbsp olive oil and, if you like, 2 bay leaves in a small bowl, and let the oil infuse while the potatoes bake.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Place the potatoes in the basket and bake them at 200 °C for 25 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through so they cook evenly.
- Push a knife into the largest potato. It should slide in with no resistance – if not, give the potatoes another 3-5 minutes at 200 °C. They must be completely tender, otherwise they will not split neatly.
- Place the potatoes on a cutting board and cover them with a clean tea towel. Give each potato a light smack with the palm of your hand, so the skin splits and the potato flattens a little but still holds together. That smack (murro) is what the dish is named after.
- Move the potatoes back to the basket with a spatula so they sit in a single layer with the cracks facing up. Pour the garlic oil over them so the oil and garlic run down into the cracks, and tuck the bay leaves in between the potatoes so they don’t blow up against the heating element.
- Bake the potatoes at 200 °C for 10 minutes, until the edges are golden and crisp. Do not shake the basket, so the potatoes keep their shape.
Serving
- Place the potatoes on a serving dish together with the garlic and bay leaves, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve them warm – the soft garlic cloves can be squeezed out of their skins and eaten with the potatoes.
Our notes for the recipe
Choose potatoes of the same size so they become tender at the same time. They must be completely soft before they get their smack – a half-cooked potato crumbles instead of splitting. Crush the garlic cloves rather than pressing them: whole, crushed cloves can take the hot air, while pressed garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. The skin is part of the dish:
The salty, crisp skin and the split potatoes are what set batatas a murro apart from, for example, Spanish patatas a lo pobre, where the potatoes are cut into slices and fried with onion and bell pepper. Variation:
Add a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme to the oil, or sprinkle with a little smoked paprika before the second round. A little chopped fresh parsley or coriander at the end adds freshness. Serving:
Batatas a murro are the classic Portuguese side dish for bacalhau – especially oven-baked salt cod with plenty of olive oil and garlic (bacalhau à lagareiro). They also go well with grilled sardines, octopus, chicken and grilled meat. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can do the second round in two batches, so the split potatoes sit in a single layer.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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