Roast Lamb Gravy with Rosemary

Lamb fat is strong and it will dominate a gravy if you let it, so this one is skimmed harder than a beef gravy and given rosemary and garlic to stand up to what is left. The redcurrant jelly is not there to make it sweet, it is there to stop the lamb tasting muttony.

Ingredients

Makes about 550ml, enough for six plates

• 2 tbsp lamb fat from the roasting tin skim the rest off, it is heavy stuff
• 2 cloves garlic, roasted under the joint and squeezed from their skins
• 2 tbsp (30g) plain flour
• 650ml (23fl oz) hot lamb or beef stock
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
• salt and black pepper

Kit

• Roasting tin
• Whisk
• Fine sieve
• Jug

Method

1. Lift the lamb out and rest it on a warm board for twenty to thirty minutes under loose foil. A leg holds a lot of heat and will keep going, so pull it out a little pinker than you want it.

2. Pour the contents of the tin into a jug and leave it to settle for two minutes. Lamb fat rises fast and sets pale, so you can see exactly where to stop pouring. Return two tablespoons of fat and all the dark juices to the tin.

3. Set the tin on a medium heat and mash the roasted garlic into the fat with the back of a spoon until it dissolves and starts to smell sweet rather than raw.

4. Scatter in the flour and cook it out for two full minutes, scraping the base hard. Lamb tins carry a lot of caramelised crust and you want all of it lifted into the roux.

5. Add the hot stock a third at a time, whisking each addition until smooth before the next goes in. Drop in the whole rosemary sprig.

6. Bring to a simmer and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the rosemary once you can smell it clearly, usually after about five minutes, or it turns medicinal.

7. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and let it melt completely, then add the vinegar. Taste, and if the lamb flavour is still too fatty add a few more drops of vinegar rather than more jelly.

8. Strain into a warm jug and pour in any juices from the resting board. Season with salt and a good grind of black pepper.

Tips worth knowing

• Skim lamb harder than any other roast. A tablespoon too much fat and the gravy sets to a waxy layer as it cools on the plate.
• Stud the joint with rosemary and garlic before roasting and they will be half melted into the tin by the time you make the gravy.
• If the gravy tastes strongly of mutton, more acid fixes it faster than more herbs. Vinegar, lemon or a spoon of mint sauce all work.
• Roast the lamb on a rack over a tin with 200ml of water in it if you want a cleaner gravy with less fat to deal with.

Keeping and reheating

Cool fast and keep for three days in the fridge, or freeze for three months. Chilled lamb gravy sets very firm, so reheat it slowly with a splash of stock and skim any fat that has risen and set on top.

Questions people ask