How to deglaze your stoneware after roasting meat and make fab gravy!

As anyone who has ever spoken to me for more than 10 mins knows, I love my stoneware, I have nearly every size that Pampered Chef do and I use at least one piece every single day!  The question I get asked most is, 'how do you make proper gravy if you can't put it on the hob (stoneware is for oven use only, no grill or hob allowed!) Well, I'll tell you.... 

Roasting meat in stoneware is so simple, I never use foil and I never have to worry about my meat drying out as the flavour and the moisture stay in the food. I always cook pork in an oven that has been preheated to its highest temperature, roasting it on high for 30 mins until the crackling is crispy and golden. Then I turn it down to 150c for 35 mins for every pound of meat I have... slow roasting is the best! (For best results I dry and salt the pork crackling before cooking)

Once I have roasted the meat, I transfer it to a warm plate to rest. I am then left with my stoneware looking like this (see photo above) All dark and sticky and lovely... this is the bit I need for the gravy. In a regular tin I would put this on the hob and get it hot and add water or stock to it and cook the gravy straight in the roasting tin.  Well,with stoneware, it is already really hot when it comes out of the oven and it will stay that way for nearly 30 minutes, so this is what I do..

I pour off all the fat and juices I can into a pan.... I use my little blue Le Cruet fondue pan as like Stoneware it stays hot long after you've taken it off the heat and its pretty enough to serve it straight to the table. (If you are trying to be healthy, you could drain some of the fat off first!)

I am  now left with the stoneware with no juices in just the sticky bits.... using water from the kettle that is roughly the same temperature as the stoneware, I pour into the pan and using a fork I scrape all the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. I don't use too much water, just enough to dilute all those lovely bits needed for the gravy... (WARNING!!!!! Don't use cold water on hot stoneware or hot water on cold stoneware...the difference in temperature will crack your dish!!!)

Your stoneware will look like this once you have scrapped the sticky bits off !

 Heat the meat juices in the pan until bubbling

Add a tablespoon of plain flour to these hot juices and mix with a whisk, beating until the flour is cooked, this may look a bit lumpy at first but bear with it..... mix to a smooth paste, then add the sticky water from the stoneware into the pan a little at a time until it becomes a thick gravy....

Now add stock or potato/vegetable water to dilute gravy to the right consistency, boil for a couple of minutes before turning it to a very low heat. If using just potato or vegetable water, add a stock cube. The knorr stock pots give the best flavour.  I also add a large teaspoon of marmite to my gravy, love it or hate it, it gives great colour and an added depth you don't get without it. (marmite haters don't worry you can't taste it but it does make such a difference so don't leave it out.) Allow the gravy to sit on a low light for as long as possible, the longer you leave it the better the gravy is, keep stirring every now and again.  If it looks like its getting too thick, let it down with a little vegetable water or water from your kettle. 

Don't forget to eat as much crackling before offering it to your family members or guests, once it leaves the kitchen you'll only get an empty plate back....

If you make a large pan of gravy every time you roast meat, you can cool and freeze left overs in one cup prep bowls... ideal for mid week meals. 

Tip - so you don't end up loosing all your prep bowl to the freezer, once your gravy is frozen, dip the bottom of the bowls into hot water to release contents allowing you to free up prep bowls and then store gravy in freezer bags.