Air Fryer Shepherd’s Pie is Quintessentially British and Full of Flavour

Last Updated on June 5, 2024

How to make a classic Shepherd’s Pie that can be cooked in an air fryer or oven.

Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional British dish that most people of my generation remember from school dinners with some misgivings. Properly made though, it’s a real delight because the tender lamb mince makes a divinely melting dish with a sweet, rich flavour. For me, shepherd’s pie is the finest comfort food – perfect for shoulder season or even chilly summer days.

The first instance of the term ‘Cottage Pie’ was in 1991 and while the dish was similar to Shepherd’s Pie, it was a way to use up any leftover roasted meat. It’s thought that Shepherd’s Pie is so named to reference the fact that it should be made with lamb or mutton from the sheep that a Shepherd would manage. It’s a very frugal dish – and you can make it more so by replacing some of the meat with black or green lentils. You can even make a vegetarian version with just lentils.

The fundamental premise of a Shepherd’s Pie is that it is made with lamb rather than any other meat. You can, if you like, use leftover roast or casseroled lamb. But, if you choose to make a dish topped with potato made with beef, any other kind of meat or even lentils, it is more properly called a cottage pie. It’s a dish to plan and prepare in advance – precooking the meat filling is a must as is making mashed potatoes up. And, for a smaller household sometimes that seems like too much effort. With an air fryer and a freezer though, life becomes a lot simpler.

Shepherd’s Pie is a great dish to have on standby in the freezer. You can cook it in the oven or air fryer from frozen and the thick layer of mashed potato topping means you don’t need any extra carbs – just a portion of green vegetables. And, frozen peas or spinach are perfect, though I’m eating mine with cavolo nero because that’s what needs eating from my garden right now.

I’ve batch-cooked individual portions in enamel pie dishes so that I can freeze them and take one out to bake when I want an easy but comforting supper. You could use foil trays if you prefer or anything ovenproof and freezerproof. If you don’t have an air fryer or are cooking for a large number of people you can easily use the oven, but my air fryer is perfect for one or two. I use a Russell and Hobbs Satisfry so you may need to adjust the timings depending on your own model.

Perhaps the title ‘Air Fryer Shepherd’s Pie’ is a bit of a misnomer. The mince filling that I have used was cooked on the gas hob as were the potatoes. I do sometimes use my Instant Pot to make both, but on this occasion, I was keen to let the rich gravy that results from cooking lamb slowly to reduce down rather than adding a thickening ingredient like cornflour or starch. While using a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot can shave 20 minutes or so off the cooking time, I was making this dish at leisure and in large enough quantities to freeze half of the quantity I made (two individual portions).

This is a classic Shepherd’s Pie – I’ve added the kind of herbs that my mother would have used and a good dash of Worcestershire Sauce as she would have done. There’s no alcohol in the meat mixture and no garlic. But, I think it’s utterly delicious made this way.

Start by preparing a mirepoix of finely chopped carrots, onions and celery. Cook that mixture gently in a heavy-based pan with a tablespoon of oil for around 10 minutes, till the onion is soft and tender. Stir through your herbs and season with pepper before cooking for a minute or so. Then remove the mix from the pan and set to one side.

Brown your lamb mince in batches. The aim is to cook small enough amounts so that your meat doesn’t stew in its own juices and turns a golden brown. Once all the meat is browned return the vegetables to the pan together with a dash of tomato puree, about 300 ml of stock, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and some more freshly ground pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook for at least 40 minutes on the hob. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and stir the mixture. Continue to cook without the lid, stirring occasionally to allow the mixture to reduce down nicely. Then remove the bay leaf and season to taste.

Meanwhile, peel your potatoes and cut into even-sized chunks. Put them in a pan of cold water with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 – 20 minutes till the potatoes are soft and you can pierce them easily with a fork. Drain the potatoes and set to one side to steam dry for at least 10 minutes.

Put the butter into the pan you used to cook the potatoes and heat it until it’s melted. Now add the potatoes back and mash well with more salt and pepper to taste. Add the warmed milk, stirring it through as you mash the potatoes

I’ve made individual pies, each with a quarter of the meat mixture and topped with a quarter of the potato mixture because I am generally cooking for one or two. You could just as easily make one big pie in a suitable ovenproof casserole, though you might need to cook the shepherd’s pie in a regular oven.

Once your pies are made up, you can bake them immediately or wrap them in tinfoil and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze them, wrap in tinfoil and then put them in a plastic bag. They can be cooked straight from the fridge in the air fryer, thawed in advance or even cooked from frozen.

Don’t try to cook these in the microwave – your potatoes will never get that lovely crispy topping.

If you want to make a different version, you can use your favourite mix of herbs and spices or swap out the mashed potato for sweet potato. For a lighter version, try a mix of cauliflower puree and potato or celeriac and potato mash. You can add cheese – cream cheese blended into the mash and/or a hard cheese like cheddar grated on top. Let me know your own favourite twists!