How to give your gravy plenty of flavour

Gravy brings all the elements of a good Christmas dinner together. It matters, and often has to be made just before serving. This guide helps you keep everything under control.

Follow this basic recipe for a flavourful gravy. SCANPAN users have also shared their best tips for making plenty of gravy with lots of flavour.

Gravy SOS

Use these simple tips to fix the most common gravy problems:

• Too salty: Simmer a peeled raw potato in the gravy until tender to absorb some salt. Alternatively, dilute with milk or cream, or add a little sugar.
• Lumps: Whisk continuously as the gravy comes to the boil. If lumps remain, pour it through a sieve.
• Not enough flavour: Taste and adjust repeatedly. Start with a little salt. Add acidity with orange zest or reduced red wine, or sweetness with redcurrant jelly.

Gravy for duck or roast pork (serves 4)

500 ml roasting juices from duck or pork

3 tbsp plain flour

2 tsp redcurrant jelly

Salt and pepper

Gravy browning, optional

Zest of 2 oranges

100 g butter, diced

Strain the roasting juices into a saucepan and leave briefly. Sprinkle the flour over in a thin layer and allow it to absorb the fat. Whisk thoroughly and cook for a few minutes. Add gravy browning if desired. Season with salt, pepper, redcurrant jelly and orange zest, plus a little liquid from homemade red cabbage if available. Whisk in the butter at the end.

Top tips from SCANPAN users

Nille Hansen

A proper brown gravy starts with duck stock. This version uses stock made the day before, but you can also use the juices from the duck on the day.

Duck stock:

1 duck leg

1 carrot

1 parsnip

1 onion

500 ml red wine

1 litre water

10 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp whole peppercorns

1 tbsp coarse salt

Brown gravy:

50 g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

800 ml duck stock

300 ml double cream

2 tsp redcurrant jelly

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the stock, chop the root vegetables and cut the unpeeled onion into wedges. Brown the duck leg and vegetables on all sides in a large pot. Add wine, water, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Strain the stock and discard the duck leg and vegetables. Refrigerate overnight.

Before use, remove the duck fat from the surface and save it for the red cabbage.

For the gravy, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir to a paste that releases from the sides of the pan. Add stock gradually, stirring smooth each time. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Add cream, redcurrant jelly and optional gravy browning. Season with balsamic, salt and pepper, then keep warm or reheat before serving.

Carsten Schmidt-Simonsen

The secret to good gravy sits underneath the duck or pork: root vegetables, onions, apples, oranges and Christmas spices such as bay, cinnamon, cloves and whole pepper. Once strained and reduced, add plenty of cream and gravy browning.

Charlotte Præst Andersen

I use a little duck fat, gluten-free flour and some juice from the red cabbage. It works every time.