Can I ask for your gravy recipes please?

[Someaddedsugar]

I’ve been reading the numerous roast dinner threads today, and it got me thinking that I’ve never managed to make a good gravy from scratch.

Can you give me your best recipes please?

I take the meat of the roasting tray to rest.

Then I spoon off most of the fat from the tin (you need to leave about 2tblspns).

Then I add plain flour (about a tblspn) and try to release as much of the juices etc in the pan.

Then I put on the heat and add stock (I usually buy the fresh stock in cartoons but also quite like the Knorr liquid stock concentrates).

Keep stirring until thickened, season with salt/pepper and often add some dried herbs (usually rosemary/thyme with beef, sage with pork, and tarragon with chicken).

The knorr stock pots are also quite good - the rich beef one is really good for gravy.

Thanks @DeRigueurMortis - I'll have to give that a try next weekend!

No problem.

I find it really easy to make good gravy with beef/lamb/chicken (forgot to say I normally add a little red current jelly or mint to lamb gravy) but found pork a bit more tricky.

In the end I found the best way to enhance the favour of the juices in the tin is to add a mix of beef and chicken stock (so 3/4 chicken to 1/4 beef).

As I said I usually buy the fresh stock in tubs or sachets that's generally sold next to the meat - they freeze beautifully so I tend to bulk buy - especially if they are on sale and short dated).

If you forget to defrost just pop them in a bowl (or sink) of hot water and they defrost enough to use in about 5 mins (I'm not fussed if a bit is still frozen as long as it's 50% defrosted I chuck it in the roasting tin as I make the gravy and let the rest defrost in the tin as I'm stirring - or whisking if it's looking like it's going a bit lumpy).

Tbh I think a lot of supermarket meat just doesn't have the flavour by itself to make good gravy (I notice a big difference when I buy it opposed to that from my local butcher) so the key is getting really good stock to boost it - the herbs etc are lovely but the stock is key.

Sorry pressed post too soon!

I think that's why people struggle to make good gravy as almost recipes just use the meat juices (plus flour and water) - which is fine it's you've got a really, really good quality piece of meat.

Otherwise you really need the stock.

Oh and if cooking beef I use the fat I've removed from the tin to do the roast potatoes and Yorkshire's (supplemented with some beef dripping if I need it).

I use duck/goose fat with other meats though.

Thank you - that’s definitely makes senses as ive tried previously with the meat juices and flour however found it very bland so I’ll definitely try with the herbs and stock.

A tip for chicken.

I typically place a lemon (that I pierce with a fork a few times), garlic cloves (you don't need to peel - about 3) and tarragon in the cavity.

Roast as normal.

Then just before you take out of the roasting tin, use a spoon to remove the contents and juice from the cavity.

The tarragon will have done its job so just discard (I add a bit more to the gravy later - fresh is nicest but drier also works - not too much as it's a powerful flavour), the garlic should just "squish" out of its skins which you remove then mash the garlic into the juices. I usually squish the lemon a bit (not too much) to release a little juice then bin.

Add the chicken stock and you end up which a gorgeous chicken/tarragon/garlic/lemon gravy.

If I am making gravy I either do the Jamie Oliver Get Ahead method (if it's for a lot of people) or I do a trivot under the meat. So under the joint of meat I place a chopped carrot, celery,onion and a few unpeeled cloves of garlic along with a sprig of rosemary. If the meat is really lean like a piece of beef or rindless pork loin I might drizzle a bit of oil on the veg to stop it drying out.

You want a roasting tray that your meat sits quite snuggly in, if the tray is too big the juices just burn off.

Once the meat is done, take it off the veg and wrap in foil to rest.

Pop the roasting tray and veg on a ring, add a glass of wine to deglaze the tin and smoosh all the veg up with a potato masher. Once the pan is deglazed I usually transfer it to a pan, mix a tablespoon of flour (you should have burnt most of the wine off deglazing the tray) and then add however much stock you are using. I usually just use bisto stock cubes. Bring it to the boil and then simmer for a bit. Then strain the mixture through a sieve and the end result should be a really nice gravy. Once you go to carve your meat there will be juices in the tinfoil, I always make sure that goes in the gravy.

Its a faff but much better than bisto.

The majority of the time though I use those pouches of gravy.

Jamie's get ahead is my favourite- hard to beat. I make a lot at one time as it's t me consuming.

I'm guessing four heaped spoons of Aldi gravy granules isn't what you're after

@imsorryiasked good old Quixo accompanied our dinner today!

@frouby and @littlelambpeep I’ll have a look at Jamie’s recipe too.

@derigeuermortis the chicken gravy recipe sounds lovely - I will definitely be trying that one!

@frouby i have a few roasting tins with racks in but hadn’t thought to add veg underneath, or to add wine! I’ll also be trying that thank you!

I love Jamie's too but I never do it on the day, always in advance. Lots of people don't like the star anise too. I miss chickens having giblets, they made lovely gravy.

Quixo is a decent thickener ime, I don't use too much of it though. I just use the meat juices and stock from the veg I have just cooked, add a little Quixo and then some corn flour if it's not thick enough.

Agree wholeheartedly with the above - the quality of the gravy is linked to the quality of the meat.

I use whatever comes out of the meat, add flour to make a roux. You can then put some in the fridge if you're not going to use it all.

Boiling water + stock cube, whisk until smooth adding water as you go. I often get the stick blender out to be sure.

I like to add some of the following to give it more flavour:

• marmite or bovril
• spoonful of apple sauce, cranberry sauce or redcurrent jelly
• generous helping of balsamic vinegar

If nothing else, salt generously and use the balsamic!

Thanks all!

@DianaPrincessofThemyscira when you say a generous helping of balsamic is that a few tablespoons?

The water that you've used to boil veg in is a must for decent gravy. Far better than just stock cubes. Alternatively make a veg trivet under the meat and add water to that during cooking so that it covers the veg but not the meat.