Air Fryer Shepherd's Pie Recipe (Andy Cooks)

Source video by Andy Cooks on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Andy Cooks' take on the traditional shepherd's pie, a hearty lamb mince bake topped with creamy mashed potato. The mince is browned in batches for depth of flavour, simmered with aromatic veg, herbs, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce, then topped with riced potato mash, grated pecorino and panko breadcrumbs. Adapted here for the air fryer, this version still serves a generous family meal and uses affordable ingredients you likely already have in.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kglamb mince
• oil
• onion, finely diced
• carrots, peeled and finely diced
• celery, finely diced
• garlic, finely chopped
• fresh rosemary, chopped
• fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tbsptomato puree
• 12 dashesWorcestershire sauce
• 2 heaped tbspplain flour
• stock
• sweetcorn kernels, cut from the cob (add late)
• salt
• black pepper

• Sebago potatoes, peeled and cut into small fist-sized pieces
• butter
• milk

• pecorino, finely grated (add late)
• panko breadcrumbs (add late)

Method

1. Finely dice the onion, peeled carrots and celery. Cut the corn off the cob (rest the cob on an upturned bowl set inside a larger bowl to catch the kernels). Finely chop the garlic, rosemary and thyme.

   ~15 min

2. Heat a large heavy-based pot over high heat with a good glug of oil. Brown the lamb mince in three 500g batches, seasoning each batch with a pinch of salt. Leave the mince undisturbed at first to get a good colour on the base before breaking it up. Lift each batch out leaving the fat behind.

   ~15 min

3. Lower the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and carrot to the rendered fat and sweat for 2-3 minutes until softened with a little colour. Add the celery, garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for another minute.

   ~4 min

4. Stir in the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and flour. Cook the flour out for a minute or two, stirring, until it absorbs the fat and loses its raw look.

   ~2 min

5. Return all the browned lamb to the pot and stir to distribute evenly through the veg. Pour in the stock and stir, scraping any stuck bits off the base. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until thickened to a holding consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

   ~10 min

6. While the mince simmers, put the peeled, halved potatoes in a pot of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until fork tender, around 25 minutes. Drain and leave in the colander over the pot for 3-4 minutes to steam dry.

   ~30 min

7. Turn off the heat under the mince and stir through the sweetcorn so the residual heat warms it through without overcooking.

   ~1 min

8. Pass the steamed potatoes through a ricer (or mash) back into the pot. Work in the butter, then add the milk a little at a time until smooth but not wet. Season with salt.

   ~5 min

9. Spread the lamb mixture evenly into an air fryer safe oven dish. Spoon the mash on top in small dollops, then drag a fork over the surface to create lots of peaks and ridges. Press the mash firmly to the edges of the dish.

   ~5 min

10. Finely grate pecorino over the top and scatter with a layer of panko breadcrumbs.

    ~2 min

11. Preheat the air fryer to 170°C. Place the dish in the basket and cook for 25-30 minutes until the top is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Cover loosely with foil if the top colours too fast.

    ~30 min

12. Rest the pie for a few minutes before serving to let it settle and avoid burnt mouths.

    ~5 min

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