Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

This is an excellent recipe.  I have made it numerous times and it is fabulous every time.  I have adjusted and experimented with this recipe in various ways.  I have made a decent vegetarian version using vegetable bouillon instead of beef and by replacing the beef with mushrooms and serving it over egg noodles.  I have also tried a meat analog (Worthington vegetable steaks) once and didn’t like that at all.  But for the most part when I cook this, I follow the recipe, except for using a less expensive cut of beef (sirloin, London broil, etc…).   To save money and extend the recipe, I add 16 ounces of sliced mushrooms around the same time I add the beef (which I use less than a pound of).  I cook double the amount of sauce and serve it all over egg noodles (with the fried potatoes on top).  Instead of cutting matchsticks, I grate the potato, squeeze out as much liquid as possible and fry in small batches until golden and crispy.  I usually do this before I cook the stroganoff.  Anyway, it’s a classic dish and one I am glad to have in my repertoire.

Beef Stroganoff

4 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 cup rich beef bouillon
1/4 cup sour cream
1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, sliced into pieces 3″ long X 1″ wide X 1/8″ thick
salt and pepper, to taste
vegetable oil
4 russet potatoes, peeled ans sliced into 1/8″ matchsticks
2 T. chopped parsley

Melt 2 T. of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour and dry mustard and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.  Gradually add bouillon, whisking constantly until thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream, remove from heat, and set aside.

Melt remaining 2 T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until soften and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.  Increase heat to high, add meat and saute until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add reserved sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pour oil into a deep medium pot to a depth of 1 1/2″, and heat over medium heat to 365 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Fry potatoes in batches until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes.  drain on paper towels; season to taste with salt while still warm.

Spoon stroganoff onto a serving platter, and cover with a mound of jumbled straw potatoes.  Garnish with parsley

Recipe source:  Saveur (Sept./Oct. 2000 issue).  They adapted the recipe from Darra Goldstein’s Taste of Russia (Russian Life Books, 3rd edition, 1999).

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