Every roast dinner deserves a really good gravy, it’s just too dry or plain without one!
A really good homemade gravy is a classic accompaniment to any Sunday or special roast dinner. Whether it’s chicken, turkey, pork beef or lamb my recipe will take no more than 10 minutes and my family loves it.
Good Stock – Good Gravy
Any chef will tell you that the basis of any gravy is the stock it is made from. A gravy made from granules or stock cubes is nice and quick, and there are some very good ones out there but they will never match one made from a homemade stock combined with juices from the meat tray.
As a bit of a cheat, I often make a basic stock using Knorr Stock Pots using either their Rich Beef, Chicken or Lamb ones, and then add some herbs.
The only meat for which I always make my own stock from scratch is duck. The only place I have ever been able to buy a decent duck or goose stock is in French supermarkets like Carrefour.
Making your own stock takes a good 3-4 hours so I make a large batch and then freeze it in portions. When making duck stock you also get the reduced fat which makes the most fabulous roasties!
To Roux or Not to Roux
The Roux, a mixture of flour and butter in equal parts, forms the basis of French sauces.
By contrast, British gravy is traditionally made by adding flavouring and thickeners to the juices in the bottom of a roasting tray while the meat is resting after cooking. Bisto is the leading British brand for making gravy this way.
Although not named after them, the Roux brothers, Albert and Michel, came to the UK in the 1960s, despite speaking no English. They were so appalled by the standard of British cooking that they opened their first restaurant Le Gavroche in London’s Mayfair.
Credited with introducing French-style cuisine to London diners, their methods, known to professional chefs the world over, became popular with home cooks through tv cookery programs.
Whether you will decide to use a roux or not, probably depends on how much time you have. Personally, I roux.
Other Recipes You Maybe Interested in …..
Grandads Gravy
Ingredients
- 50 g Butter
- 50 g Plain Flour
- 500 ml Stock
- 1 tsp Mixed Herbs
Instructions
- Melt 50g of butter over a low heat in a suitable size pan. Add 50g plain flour and heat gently stirring continuously to make a roux. Once it looks smooth and glassy turn up the heat and very gradually add the stock, a little at first, stirring or whisking constantly.
- Allow to simmer gently to cook out the flour, stirring regularly.
- When you take your roast out of the oven, transfer to the carving tray, and pour the juices from the roasting tray into the gravy. Stir well, and bring to a simmer. Do not allow the gravy to boil.
- Serve and enjoy.
