Brown sauce was the staple of my childhood and is by far the best thing ever with a Full English Breakfast. It is the flavour of the day in cafés up and down the country, added to the bacon rolls, sausage baps and hash browns. It is the taste of the Great British working public, the builders, plumbers, van drivers and, of course, chefs!
This is my version, served with sautéed potatoes and a spicy black pudding, but you could serve it with anything. This dish also works well with a poached egg and a little cracked black pepper. You could make your own black pudding, but the best black pudding for me is either from Laverstoke Park Farm, in Hampshire, or Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis. Both are delicious.
Serves 4
bacon fat or rapeseed oil
500g Cornish new potatoes, cooked and sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
8 thick slices of black pudding
salt and pepper, to taste
For the homemade brown sauce
250g pitted dates, finely chopped
2 Granny Smith apples
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ nutmeg, freshly grated
200g soft dark brown sugar
150ml Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
150ml red wine vinegar
To make the brown sauce, put the dates into a heatproof bowl. Peel the apples and grate them on a coarse cheese grater directly into the bowl, then mix in the ground spices and leave the bowl to one side.
Put the sugar and both vinegars into a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mix on to the dates and apples, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to cool at room temperature. The dates will absorb some liquid and become soft.
Pour this mix into a heavy-based saucepan over a very low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch on the base, for 1½ hours, or until soft and pulpy. Transfer the date and apple mix to a blender and blend until it is smooth. Pass it through a fine sieve into a bowl, then leave to cool completely. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator until needed, or for up to 2 months.
Heat about 4 tablespoons bacon fat or rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the potatoes to the pan in a layer about 1cm thick and fry for 8 minutes, or until you get crispy edges. Add the onion and continue to fry until it becomes a little caramelised. Add the chives and season. Keep warm in a low oven.
Heat about 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil in another large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the black pudding and fry, turning once, until crispy on both sides.
Serve the black pudding with the potatoes, and add the brown sauce at the table.