The encyclopaedia of gravy
Mash needs a gravy with enough body to stay in the well and enough flavour to season a fundamentally bland food.
Mashed potato is absorbent, mild and rich. The gravy has to season it as much as sauce it.
Consistency¶
Medium-thick. Mash forms a natural well and the gravy should stay in it long enough to be eaten with the potato rather than running off across the plate and drowning the vegetables.
Which gravy¶
| With | Gravy |
|---|---|
| Sausages | Onion gravy — see best gravy for sausages and mash |
| Meatballs | Cream gravy — see gravy for meatballs |
| Liver and bacon | Onion gravy, with the bacon fat in it |
| Roast chicken | Chicken gravy |
| Nut roast or vegetarian | Mushroom gravy |
| On its own, as comfort food | Whatever is in the freezer, reheated, no judgement |
| American-style, with fried chicken | White gravy |
The technique nobody mentions¶
Make the well before the gravy arrives, with the back of a spoon, and make it deeper than looks sensible. Then pour slowly. A shallow well overflows and you end up with soup.
Gravy-soaked mash as a dish in itself¶
In much of northern England and Scotland, mash and gravy is a plate in its own right — sometimes with peas, sometimes with nothing else. It is also, for many people, the first gravy they ever ate.