Roast Gammon Gravy

The whole problem with gammon gravy is salt. The joint is cured, the glaze is usually sugary and the cooking water is far too salty to use as it is. So this gravy is made with unsalted stock and gets its savour from mustard, onion and a splash of the glaze rather than from the meat's own liquor.

Ingredients

Makes about 500ml, enough for six plates

• 30g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp (30g) plain flour
• 200ml (7fl oz) dry cider
• 500ml (18fl oz) unsalted or low salt chicken stock not the gammon cooking water
• 3 tbsp sticky glaze scraped from the gammon tin
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• black pepper salt almost certainly not needed

Kit

• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Sieve

Method

1. Rest the gammon on a board, glazed side up and uncovered so the glaze stays tacky rather than steaming soft. Do not tip the tin juices into the gravy yet, taste them first, because they are usually far too salty to use in quantity.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the onion gently for eight minutes until soft and translucent. Keep the heat low, since you want sweetness here rather than browning, to balance the salt in the meat.

3. Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes until it is a pale sandy paste. There is no need to take this roux dark, the glaze will supply the colour.

4. Pour in the cider and whisk vigorously. Let it bubble for three minutes to cook off the alcohol and reduce slightly.

5. Add the unsalted stock in two goes, whisking smooth each time, then bring to a simmer.

6. Set the gammon tin over a low heat, add a ladle of the gravy and scrape up the sticky glaze from the base. Taste it. If it is salty but good, tip the lot in. If it is aggressively salty, add only half.

7. Simmer everything together for eight minutes, then stir in the mustard and the cider vinegar. The vinegar is the counterweight to the sugar in the glaze.

8. Strain if you want it smooth, then taste properly before you even think about salt. Finish with plenty of black pepper.

Tips worth knowing

• Never make gammon gravy with the boiling water from the joint unless you have soaked the gammon first and tasted the water. Nine times out of ten it will ruin the gravy.
• If it does end up too salty, dilute with unsalted stock and add a peeled floury potato, simmering for ten minutes before removing it. It absorbs some of the salt and starch helps balance it.
• A spoonful of the glaze is worth more than a spoonful of the juices. The caramelised sugar and clove notes are the best part.
• Serve this one slightly thinner than a beef gravy so it does not sit heavily against a salty meat.

Keeping and reheating

Three days in the fridge, three months in the freezer. It reheats easily. Taste again after chilling, as the saltiness reads stronger cold and you may want to loosen it with a little unsalted stock.

Questions people ask