Fill a large bowl, big enough for all the fries, with ice (or at least cold) water.
Peel the potatoes, if desired.
Slice the potatoes into ¼” fries. If you cut them larger, they'll take quite a bit longer to cook.
Place the cut fries in the ice water while you slice the rest of the potatoes.
Let the fries sit in the ice water for 15 minutes. After 10 minutes of soaking, preheat your air fryer to 365 °F (185 °C) for at least 5 minutes.
Remove the fries from the water and pat them dry with a paper towel or a clean tea towel.
Toss to coat the fries with the olive oil and salt.
Put the fries in the air fryer and cook at 365 °F (185 °C) for 7 minutes, shaking the fries after about 3 minutes.
After the 7 minutes, stir the fries again, making sure that none have gotten stuck to the bottom. Turn the heat to 400 °F (205 °C) and cook the fries for an additional 7-10 minutes, shaking the fries after 3-4 minutes, or until they are your desired doneness.
Take the fries out of the air fryer, and toss them with the cheese and garlic.
If you have a smaller air fryer and need to make the fries in batches, turn your oven to 225 °F (107 °C). Place the cooked fries on a sheet pan and put them in the oven for up to 1 hour.