This insignificant little sauce — really just something made out of nothing — can nevertheless strike fear in the hearts of home cooks everywhere. The monster in this scenario has just one name:
Lumps.
So here we go, the way to never ever ever have even a single lump in thy gravy:
The fat. The drippings from your roast–yes, all that greasy stuff in the bottom of the pan, plus the caramelized brown goo that’s stuck to the bottom of the pan– are the base for gravy. If your roast didn’t give you much grease, add a few tablespoons of canola oil or butter.
The flour. Sprinkle all-purpose flour evenly over the hot fat. You want about an equal amount of flour to fat. A little less flour means a runnier gravy, more flour = thicker. Do not use: whole wheat flour, gluten-free flour, cornstarch, cake and pastry flour, cornflour. No.
The holy matrimony of fat and flour. Incorporate the flour and the fat. Completely. Entirely. This is the step that eliminates lumps, so be diligent. Use a wooden spoon to bash the flour and fat together as the whole mess cooks slowly.
The liquid. It doesn’t matter if you use water, stock wine or a mixture, but add it gradually! start with about 1/4 cup. Once it’s completely incorporated, add another 1/4 cup. Switch to a whisk if things are going too fast, then start adding liquid by 1/2 cup increments.
If it looks anaemic, add a splosh of soy sauce. Taste for seasoning. Serve very hot.
Here’s the full how-to:
Click below for a printable version of this recipe.