Sunday Roast Gravy from Frozen Stock

If you freeze stock in tubs after every roast, Sunday gravy is already half made. The only real skill is handling the stock properly, which means melting it gently, checking how strong it actually is and adjusting rather than blindly following a quantity. This method suits any meat you happen to be roasting.

Ingredients

Makes about 600ml, enough for six plates

• 700ml (1 1/4 pints) frozen homemade stock beef, chicken or lamb, whatever matches the roast
• 3 tbsp fat from the roasting tin
• 2 tbsp (30g) plain flour
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cider or wine vinegar
• salt and black pepper

Kit

• Saucepan
• Roasting tin
• Whisk
• Sieve

Method

1. Get the stock out of the freezer first thing and stand the tub in a bowl of warm water, or tip the frozen block into a pan with a splash of water over a low heat. Never blast it on full heat, as the base scorches while the middle is still solid and the whole lot picks up a burnt note.

2. Once it is liquid, bring it to a simmer and taste it. Homemade stock varies enormously in strength. If it is thin, boil it hard for ten minutes to concentrate it. If it is a firm jelly straight from the tub, it is probably strong enough to be let down with a splash of water.

3. Skim any fat that rises as it heats, and keep the stock hot on a back ring while you deal with the tin.

4. Pour off all but three tablespoons of fat from the roasting tin, put it over a medium heat and soften the shallot in the fat for four minutes, scraping the base as you go.

5. Stir in the flour and cook it out for two minutes until it is golden and coats the shallot. Because homemade stock has body of its own, you need slightly less flour than you would with a cube, so do not be tempted to add more.

6. Ladle in the hot stock a bit at a time, whisking to keep it smooth, and drop in the bay leaf. Bring it up to a simmer, scraping every last bit of residue off the tin.

7. Simmer for ten minutes. Gelatine rich stock thickens noticeably as it reduces, so check the consistency at eight minutes and stop early if it is already coating the spoon.

8. Remove the bay, strain into a warm jug, add the vinegar and season. Home stock is usually unsalted, so this gravy will need more salt than one made from a cube.

Tips worth knowing

• Freeze stock in 500ml tubs rather than one big block. A single portion melts in fifteen minutes and you can take out exactly what you need.
• Label the tubs with the meat and the date. Lamb stock in a chicken gravy is not a disaster but it is not what you planned either.
• Reduce stock right down to a syrup before freezing if space is tight. Two ice cube trays of that will make gravy for a whole winter, just add water.
• Homemade stock sets to a wobbly jelly when it is good. If yours is watery when chilled, roast the bones next time and simmer them longer.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and can go straight back in the freezer for three months, since the gravy has only been through one freeze as stock. Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Questions people ask