Pan Gravy
Roasting-pan drippings, flour and stock
Not a classical sauce, but the one most often made, and it deserves doing properly. The browned bits stuck to the roasting pan are the whole point — everything else is a vehicle for getting them into a jug.
Ingredients
- Fat and drippings from a roast (about 3 tablespoons fat)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups hot stock, matched to the meat (see Chicken Stock)
- 1/2 cup wine, cider or the vegetable cooking water
- 1 teaspoon redcurrant jelly or a dash of soy sauce (optional)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Lift the roast out and let it rest. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan, keeping every bit of the dark sediment.
- Set the pan over medium heat, sprinkle in the flour, and cook, scraping constantly with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes until the flour is biscuit-coloured.
- Add the wine or cider and scrape hard — this is where the crust comes off the pan and into the sauce. Let it bubble away almost completely.
- Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, whisking smooth after each.
- Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until it coats a spoon. Add any juices that have collected under the resting meat.
- Season, and add the redcurrant jelly or soy if it needs depth. Strain if you want it smooth.
Notes
- Hot stock into a hot pan gives a smooth gravy. Cold stock makes lumps.
- Too thin: simmer longer. Too thick: more stock. Lumpy: a stick blender fixes it in seconds.