Gravy, when not roasting meat?

[museumum]

How do you buy/make gravy when you’re not doing a roast. For example with sausages and mash? Is there a reasonable instant version? Is bisto ok? Ds has developed a new taste for gravy and as he’s previously been a bit fussy about “sauce” I want to lean into this and provide gravy if I can.

You can't beat Bisto. I think it tastes way better than homemade

I use Oxos. Dissolve them in water, and add it to a roux. Throw in some herbs/wine/onions/mustard/other addition to your taste. So much nicer than Bisto.

As others have said, I make three times the required amount when I make gravy for a roast and then freeze it.

For sausages, I too make onion gravy (BBC Food, I think).

I make extra gravy when I do a roast, then freeze the surplus.
Or else I make onion gravy - no granules, marmite, etc.

@WhatFlavourIsIt I agree, I occasionally stick in a bit of red cooking wine too and I add mustard- I don't like thin gravy! I appreciate it's 'proper' but I'm not keen

Noooo! ‘Proper’ gravy should be so thick you can practically cut it with your knife! (That’s how I make it anyway!)

The top ranges of instant are what I use for sausages or pie. My DD calls it fake gravy and loves it (better than mine she says, it's not)

I buy the finest fresh made gravy in tubs from Tesco. I love proper gravy and dislike the instant ones like bistro etc. The chicken, beef or onion gravy are all fine with sausages.

@AllTheChaos yup

No need for ready-made products. Deglaze the pan contents with red wine/port/marsala, add a bit of a decent stock or demiglace and some cream and reduce. Sonetimes a bit of blackcurrant syrup or honey for extra sweetness and grainy mustard for extra flavour. Thicken with either floury butter (mashed up with a fork in advance, keeps in the fridge for days) or cornflour.

Get the Bisto jar, but the one that says BEST on it. There's an ordinary Bisto too but the Best one is nicer. Beef or Chicken.

Fry onions, add flour to thicken then stock

I despise instant gravy. Always make my own from scratch...even if it just to pour over a pie and chips. Really don't understand why people find it a chore, it's the easiest thing in the world to make and takes a matter of minutes if you know how to do it. I always pour any excess juices off roasted meats into a cup that stays in the fridge. When I want to rustle up a gravy from scratch at any point, just scoop an spoonful into a pan melt it to a liquid or you can even just use olive oil, or packet dripping if you don't have fresh stock stored. Add some flour, whisk to a paste, crumble an oxo cube in to enhance the stock flavour, pour some boiling water from the kettle, whisk it till its smooth and not lumpy and hey presto you've made basic gravy. I then usually add a dollop of lea and perrin some bbq seasoning and a splash of balsamic vinegar or red wine if I've got any to enhance the flavour a bit. Takes about 5 minutes if that, which isn't much longer than it does to make instant by the time you've mixed it to death to get the lumps out but it tastes so much nicer. I do this numerous times a week sometimes if we're having a meal which gravy compliments.

If you don't want instant/bistro or have meat juices, by far the best 'chip shop' style gravy is the roux version - butter & flour melted (with a sprinkle of onion powder if you're not adding cooked onions) then gradually whisk in equal quantities of chicken & beef stock and let it simmer & thicken for a few minutes. I sometimes add a bit of marmite and/or lea & perrins but it's honestly so good without.

I make onion gravy. I fry onions until soft, then add some flour to the onions and mix it in well, then a decent knob of butter. Then I add stock and let it simmer. A spoonful of marmite helps if the flavour isn't strong enough.

I use Aunt Bessie's instant homestyle gravy because it doesn't contain palm oil or any other types of palm oil and it's low in calories and fat.

I had a craving for sausages and mash today so I roasted the sausages in the oven with some sliced onions then added the onions to a container of Tesco Onion Gravy. It was very nice and I usually cook everything from scratch so was concerned it would taste artificial but it didn’t.

I used to like Sainsburys own brand gravy power. They don’t make it anymore. Bisto is ok, but not as good.

So I use a stock pot and an Oxo cube and season up with herbs, paprika and tomato purée. I think it’s more salty than I’d like but no one wants sausages without gravy here. Chiefly because DH does not eat baked beans or mash