Beef Stroganoff

By Lsweetnell

If serving with egg noodles, you can cook them ahead. This dish is also great served with mashed potatoes. It's hearty and can feed a hungry crowd!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of butter, divided
• 1 pound fresh cremini mushrooms sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 pound onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon country Dijon mustard
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 pounds trimmed rib-eye steak, cut into cubes approximately 1 1/2 inches
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
• Chopped parsley for garnish, optional
• Wide egg noodles, see note above

Preparation

Step 1

In a very large sauté pan or skillet, preferably non-stick, heat 1 ½ tablespoons of butter over high heat until just starting to brown.

Add only half of the mushroom slices and using a wooden spoon lay out in a single layer. After two minutes flip them to brown the other side. This is a bit tedious but worth it. After the other side has browned, pour contents onto a waiting plate or platter. Each batch should take 4-5 minutes.

Cook the second half the same way by melting 1 ½ tablespoons of butter, cooking mushrooms in a single layer, etc. Once the second batch is cooked, add the first batch back into the pan and add the salt and pepper and stir to coat.

Take the pan off the burner and add the cognac or brandy. The liquor will immediately evaporate. Pour the contents back onto the plate in a single layer. If you did this right, there should be no liquid on the plate, just perfectly cooked browned mushrooms. Set this aside.

Return the pan to the burner and set at medium high.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and onions and cook for up to ten minutes to get tender. If they brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium.

Add tomato paste and stir and cook for one minute.
Add flour and stir and cook for another minute.
Add half the stock and stir with a wooden spoon. Once combined add the rest of the stock and stir. Mixture will be thick.
Stir in mustard and sour cream and then cooked mushrooms and remove from the heat. Pour this mixture into a bowl and clean the pan.

Lay the beef cubes on a cutting board and dust both sides with salt, pepper and the flour.

Heat the same pan back up to high and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil. Once the butter starts to brown, place half of the beef cubes in using tongs one at a time, not letting them touch.

Sear about 1-2 minutes on both sides, and on larger pieces, sear the sides. As each piece is perfectly cooked, keep removing them with tongs to the same bowl as the sauce.

Once the first half is done, repeat for the second half, using the fat that remains in the pan.

When the last piece of beef is removed to the bowl, add the remaining two tablespoons of liquor (off the burner so it doesn’t flare up). Then immediately add the bowl with the sauce and beef back into the pan.
Adjust the burner just to heat the mixture back up to serving temperature and taste and re-season if needed.

While the stroganoff is coming back up to temperature, reheat the noodles and drain.Then serve the stroganoff over the noodles either on a platter or individual portions. Top with the optional chopped parsley as garnish.