Traditional Beef Stroganoff with Fingerlings
Many Americans associate beef stroganoff with a gloppy school cafeteria lunch or a Betty Crocker slow cooker meal. But this recipe, made with beef tenderloin and flavorful mushrooms, will blow you away. It follows the flavor profile of a traditional Russian stroganoff, a creamy sauce rich with beef broth, tomato paste, paprika, sour cream, mushrooms and caramelized onions. Browning the onion, beef and mushrooms in the pan before deglazing with the liquid ingredients develops a deep flavor, as if you’d simmered it for hours. I like to serve it with small bags of Russian fingerling or Austrian crescent potatoes, seasoned with butter.
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 onions cut into rings
- 3 pounds tenderloin of beef, cut into strips against the grain, about 1/2-inch thick and 1-inch long
- 1 pound fresh chanterelle, trumpet, morel or other earthy mushroom
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- A few pinches grated nutmeg
- 1 cup rich beef stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 ounces sour cream
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced dill (plus more for garnish, optional)
Instructions
Melt 1/2 stick, or 1/4 cup, butter in a large skillet. Caramelize the onions over medium-low heat, about 25 minutes. Reserve.
Return pan to high heat, adding 2 tablespoons butter. Add the beef and cook quickly for about 5 minutes. Brown as best you can, if necessary in batches. Reserve beef on a plate.
Return pan to medium heat and add remaining butter (2 tablespoons). Brown the mushrooms in the butter, seasoning with the nutmeg and paprika. Reserve the mushrooms.
Deglaze the pan with the stock, tomato paste and wine. Reduce by half.
Add the sour cream to the pan, whisking until smooth. Warm it through. Add the beef, mushrooms, caramelized onions, dill and parsley to the sauce. Cook until entirely warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Season and serve with boiled fingerling potatoes.
Photograph by Madeleine Hill.
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