Sausage & Mash . . . still going strong in Isan and here's the perfect gravy . . .

[King Cotton]

 

Davey Ravey Onion Gravy

 

An ideal accompaniment for sausage & mash; it takes more time and effort than the main meal but, boy, it’s worth it.                                

                                                            Sufficient for 4 good servings

 

2 medium onions (halved)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 oz butter

2 level tsp sugar

3 tbsp sweet Marsala wine (or sherry or port)

3 tbsp red wine (or 6 tbsp of one wine or the other!)
Salt and ground white pepper (to taste)

2 tbsp plain flour (or cornflour)

5 fl oz milk

½ cube lamb stock

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

                                                                     

 Place onion halves in seasoned water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain (or reserve tasty water for further vegetable cooking) and allow to cool for 5 minutes before chopping fairly finely (lentil size, say). Using an ordinary saucepan or small frying pan, melt butter, add onions, olive oil, sugar, salt & pepper, nutmeg and about one-third of the Marsala/wine content and cook (on low heat to avoid browning) for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When onions are soft and transparent, stir in flour (or cornflour) thoroughly. Add milk gradually, stirring continually, over a low to moderate heat to keep it just off the boil and adjust amount of flour and/or milk to produce a thick sauce consistency. Add rest of Marsala and wine and simmer to reduce until correct gravy consistency is obtained.

 

To serve, heap the mashed spud in centre of pre-warmed plate before insinuating a table spoon or spatula – or bare hands if feeling that way out – and forming a huge crater in the middle and, yes, I think you can guess what you can do with the gravy. After forming an impressive crater lake (reminiscent of Hawaii), arrange sausages and vegetables of choice (chunks of carrot are great for this) around the outside. These will have special significance, shortly.

 

Sit in front of meal and, on the shout of ‘Go’, you must attempt to mix some of the gravy with the surrounding mash (a fork is highly recommended for this) and, along with the sausage and carrot, eat it before the enemy (the wife and kids), using sausages as battering rams or, in conjunction with the chunks of carrot, stone-age catapults, can break down the crater wall and claim the gravy for themselves.

Good luck and good gravy graduating!

 

 

 

[BigHewer]

Thank you KC, I may just give that a whirl! Will let you know the results