The encyclopaedia of gravy
Mint sauce is chopped mint in vinegar and sugar, served with lamb. Whether it belongs in the gravy is a matter households do not agree on.
What it is¶
Finely chopped fresh mint, steeped in vinegar with sugar and a splash of hot water. Sharp, sweet and herbal, and traditionally served with roast lamb.
It belongs to the medieval sweet-sharp tradition of serving acid-and-sugar sauces with rich meat — the same instinct that gives us redcurrant jelly with venison and apple sauce with pork. See medieval sauces.
Making it¶
- A large handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- 3 tbsp malt or white wine vinegar
Stir the sugar into the boiling water until dissolved, add the mint, leave 10 minutes, then add the vinegar. Rest for an hour before serving.
Malt vinegar is traditional and assertive; white wine vinegar gives a cleaner result.
The gravy question¶
For stirring it in: it distributes the flavour evenly, it is delicious, and lamb and mint belong together.
Against: vinegar and sugar in quantity overwhelm a gravy you have spent twenty minutes building, the acidity can make a cream-enriched gravy split, and guests who dislike it have no way out.
The practical answer: serve it separately and let people combine the two on the plate. If you do want mint in the gravy itself, add fresh chopped mint at the end rather than mint sauce — you get the herb without the vinegar and sugar.
Mint jelly¶
The American equivalent, set with pectin and often dyed green. Sweeter, milder and closer in use to redcurrant jelly, which means it does dissolve into a gravy reasonably well. See redcurrant jelly in gravy.