Aside from burgers, steaks and beef stew, Classic Beef Stroganoff was one of the first beef dishes I mastered as a newlywed.  My new groom grew up on a cattle and dairy farm.  So finding a dish that combined beef and sour cream made my guy a happy husband.

This is a true classic as beef stroganoff is a traditional Russian dish dating back to the 19th century.  It gained popularity in the US following WWII.  Most likely as servicemen and women returned from the war, some of them ended up working in the culinary world.  There they were able to spread the word about this unusual (at the time), luscious dish that would impress guests yet was quite easy to prepare.  Over the years it has taken on many variations.  The following is my take on an old classic Beef Stroganoff.

Classic Beef Stroganoff

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2  Tablespoons butter (total)
• 2  Tablespoons olive oil (total)
• 8  oz. sliced button mushrooms
• 1  medium onion, finely diced
• 1  pound sirloin steak, sliced thin into 1/2 inch by 3 inch pieces
• 1/4  cup flour
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1  cup beef broth
• 1  teaspoon worchestershire sauce
• 1  cup sour cream
• Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish
• 12 oz extra wide egg noodles

Directions

1. Heat large, deep skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil to skillet to melt.
3. Saute mushrooms and onions until onions are cooked through.
4. While mushrooms and onions are cooking, slice sirloin steak.
5. Place steak slices in bowl, add flour, salt and black pepper.  Toss to coat.
6. Remove mushrooms and onions from skillet and set aside.
7. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.
8. Add sliced sirloin pieces.  Cook until browned on both sides.  Do not skip this step.  Browning will bring out important cararmelized beef flavor.
9. Add any remaining seasoned flour mixture from bowl that you tossed the meat in.
10. Return reserved mushrooms and onions to the pan.
11. Turn heat down to medium low, add beef broth and worchestershire sauce.
12. Stir until broth thickens.
13. Turn heat down to low, cover and cook 15 minutes.
14. Remove lid from skillet.  Turn off heat.
15. Slowly stir in sour cream until well combined.
16. While stroganoff is cooking, boil 12 oz package of egg noodles in salted water according to package directions.  Drain well.
17. Fill shallow bowls with cooked egg noodles and top with stroganoff.  Garnish with parsley.

Tips:

Avoid using fat-free sour cream or any fat free dairy product for that matter.  First of all it tastes horrific and secondly it doesn’t have the fat content needed to create a creamy, luscious sauce.  Monitor the sauce as it simmers.  Feel free to add additional beef broth if sauce becomes too thick.  After adding the sour cream be sure to taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.  I make it a practice to taste a dish like this several times during the cooking process so I can adjust seasonings along the way. Always start out with the recommended or less amount of salt.   You can always add more later, but you can never take it away.