Vegan Sausage and Mash Gravy

Vegan sausages leave a sticky brown fond on the base of the pan just like meat ones do, and that fond is free savouriness most people wash down the sink. This gravy is made in the same pan while the sausages rest, so nothing is wasted. Fifteen minutes, one pan, and it tastes miles better than the granules.

Ingredients

Makes about 450ml, four servings

• 8 vegan sausages fried first, the pan is the point
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil plus whatever is left in the pan
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 1 tsp soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp (30g) plain flour
• 500ml (18fl oz) hot vegetable stock
• 1 tsp yeast extract
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• salt and black pepper

Kit

• Frying pan
• Wooden spoon
• Whisk

Method

1. Fry the sausages in a large frying pan over a medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning, until browned all over. Lift them onto a plate and cover loosely with foil. Do not wipe the pan.

2. Add the extra oil to the same pan, tip in the onions and stir them through all the browned bits stuck to the base. Add a pinch of salt and the sugar.

3. Cook the onions over a medium heat for 12 minutes, stirring often. As they release moisture they will loosen the fond, and the whole lot will go a rich dark brown together.

4. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for two minutes so it soaks up the fat and toasts against the pan. It will look like a dark paste clinging to the onions.

5. Pour in the stock in three goes, whisking hard each time and scraping the corners of the pan where the stubborn brown bits hide. Add the yeast extract and stir until dissolved.

6. Simmer for six to eight minutes, until it thickens and darkens and pulls away from the pan when you drag the spoon through it.

7. Stir in the mustard and vinegar off the heat, taste and season. Pour any juices from the resting sausage plate back into the gravy, then serve over mash with the sausages on top.

Tips worth knowing

• Some vegan sausages are very lean and leave little fat behind. If yours do, add an extra tablespoon of oil so the flour has something to work with.
• Do not scrub the pan between frying and making the gravy. The brown crust is not mess, it is the flavour base.
• If the fond looks black rather than brown, the sausages were fried too hot. Wash the pan and start the gravy fresh, because burnt fond will ruin it.
• Yeast extract and stock cubes are both salty, so hold off on salt until the very end.

Keeping and reheating

Three days in the fridge, though it is at its best straight from the pan. Freezes for two months. Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Questions people ask