Gravy for Pigs in Blankets

The tray the pigs in blankets come out of is the most under used pan in the Christmas kitchen. It is coated in rendered bacon fat and caramelised sausage residue, which is a better gravy base than most roasting tins manage. Ten minutes and you have a small jug of something sticky and dark that people will fight over.

Ingredients

Makes about 500ml, a small jug for pouring rather than drenching

• 2 tbsp bacon fat from the tray
• 1 banana shallot finely chopped
• 6 leaves sage finely shredded
• 1 1/2 tbsp (22g) plain flour
• 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) dry cider or white wine
• 450ml (16fl oz) hot chicken stock
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• coarse black pepper salt to taste, the bacon brings plenty

Kit

• The pigs in blankets baking tray
• Wooden spoon
• Small whisk

Method

1. Lift the pigs in blankets out of the tray onto a warm dish and keep them somewhere warm. Do not wash the tray, and do not let it cool down, because the stuck on residue lifts far more easily while it is hot.

2. Pour off any fat above about two tablespoons. Bacon renders a lot and a greasy gravy is the usual failure here. Set the tray over a low to medium heat, on two rings if it is a long one.

3. Add the shallot and sage and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly and scraping. The residue will start to lift and coat the shallot, which is exactly what you want.

4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir it through the fat. Cook for ninety seconds, no longer, since the tray is already carrying a lot of colour and the roux only needs to lose its rawness.

5. Pour in the cider and stir hard as it bubbles and thickens. Scrape every corner of the tray with the edge of the spoon until the base is clean and the liquid has gone dark. Let it reduce for two minutes.

6. Whisk in the hot stock in two goes and simmer for six or seven minutes until it is glossy and slightly syrupy. This one wants to be thicker and stickier than a normal gravy so it clings to the sausages.

7. Stir in the maple syrup, mustard and vinegar off the heat. Taste, add a lot of coarse black pepper, and only add salt if it genuinely needs it. Pour into a small warm jug and get it to the table quickly.

Tips worth knowing

• Cook the pigs in blankets in a metal tray, not a ceramic dish or a foil tray. You need something you can put straight on the hob and scrape hard.
• This is a small jug gravy, meant to go alongside the main one rather than replace it. Half a ladle per person is plenty.
• If you cook the pigs in blankets early and hold them, the tray still works. Reheat it on the hob with the fat until it sizzles before you start.
• Two teaspoons of the sticky bits from a honey roast parsnip tray stirred in at the end adds another layer if you have one going spare.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge in a covered container, cooled quickly. It freezes for three months but the sticky texture loosens a little on thawing, so reduce it for a couple of minutes after reheating. Bring it to a rolling boil before serving.

Questions people ask