A food expert has revealed her secret to crafting the perfect gravy
No roast is complete without a generous dollop of gravy, but with so many components to juggle, it can often be hastily prepared as everything else cooks. This can lead to a gravy that’s bland, too watery or lacking in seasoning.
Fortunately, there are some easy steps you can follow to enhance your gravy, making it rich in flavour and glossy in appearance. Ros Heathcote, the founder of Borough Broth, has shared her top tips for a more delicious gravy, including one involving a frequently thrown-away food scrap.
Her first piece of advice is to use an oven and hob-safe roasting tray, allowing you to roast the joint of meat and whip up the gravy all in one pan.
Ros’ second handy hint is to leave your onion skins on. Not only does this add colour and taste to the gravy, but it also saves you the time spent peeling.
When concocting your gravy base, begin with a mix of onions, carrots and celery. This helps establish a savoury and fragrant base, which you can then build upon and add extra flavour to using herbs and seasonings.
The seasonings you choose will depend on the meal you’re pairing it with, but for a beef roast dinner, you’ll want traditional, hearty flavours that complement the richness of the meat.
Think rosemary, thyme, sage, onion powder and garlic powder. For poultry, thyme, rosemary and sage will deliver a traditional, fragrant taste to your meal.
Rosemary pairs beautifully with lamb too, alongside thyme, garlic and mint, plus additions such as red wine and Worcestershire sauce.
Ros also offered guidance on getting the perfect texture for your gravy, noting that if you discover your gravy lacks thickness, you can create a cornflour mixture by blending one tablespoon of the flour with two tablespoons of water.
Stir this blend into the gravy until it becomes smooth for a more substantial consistency.
She further recommended that home chefs opt for organic bone broth rather than stock cubes or gravy granules, stating: “Bone broth adds a richer depth of flavour, as well as protein and collagen.”
Lastly, for an exceptionally glossy finish to your gravy, ensure you don’t allow it to bubble too forcefully. Pass it through a fine mesh, and incorporate a small piece of chilled butter at the final stage.
