Nostalgia is Served.
We share a lot of comfort-food recipes here, don’t we? Particularly this time of year, they’re reflective of what we’re craving, and therefore what we’re cooking. We assume that the same goes for you. In some ways, then, today is just a normal day here at TMP, because we’re back at it with another beefy comfort food recipe. Or is it THE comfort food recipe? Beef stroganoff is a take-no-prisoners, soul-soothing, household-uniting kind of supper. Just thinking about cooking it feeds the hungriest parts of our selves.
Apparently it inspires hyperbole, too. What we’re saying is, we cannot recommend strongly enough that you make this beef stroganoff recipe for dinner soon. No, scratch that—not soon. Make it ASAP.
Beef Stroganoff (Or Should We Say Stroganov?)—A Brief History
You might—like we do—associate creamy bowls of beef stroganoff with your parents generation, or even your grandparents generation. Although steak stroganoff did have a heyday here in America in the 1950s and ‘60s, this sour cream-tinged, quick-to-make classic beef stroganoff recipe goes back way, way further. Its origins are as Russian as the name “stroganoff” implies. The beefy recipe was likely created in the early 1800s for members of the wealthy Russian Stroganov family to indulge in. It seems likely that the dish was created by a French chef—browning the meat quickly, and making a pan sauce flavored with Dijon are both classically French techniques—working in St. Petersburg with Russian ingredients (hello, sour cream!). Beyond that, food scholars don’t know all of the details of what inspired its creation. But, we DO know for sure that we’re glad it exists.
How to Make Beef Stroganoff
In his authoritative tome, American Cookery, James Beard says of beef stroganoff “Properly done, this is a dish that is cooked quickly, often at the table, and served at once.” We’re not sold on the cooked “at the table” part, but we agree that beef stroganoff is a dish that’s meant to come together fast, and be enjoyed right away! Here’s how to make it:
- Slice the sirloin steak into thin strips. This is easiest to do if the steak is quite cold.
- Sear the steak strips in a hot pan! You might want to work in batches, so that the pan stays hot.
- Sauté some mushrooms (we like cremini, but white button mushrooms work, too) and onions in butter, and add a little garlic.
- Roux time! Add a little flour, and whisk it in to make a roux—the base of your creamy beef stroganoff sauce.
- Add all of the things that give this easy beef stroganoff recipe its big, bold flavors—beef broth, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, spicy Dijon mustard, and sour cream.
- Add the beef to the mushroomy stroganoff sauce, and admire your handiwork.
- Serve! We love it over buttered egg noodles, because that's how Grandma made it, but it's also nice with rice.
Stroganoff Sauce 101: A Few Handy Tips
Our beef and mushroom stroganoff recipe is inherently simple, but there are—as there always are—a couple of trip points to know about. Both have to do with making sure that the stroganoff sauce thick and creamy:
- Consider the roux! The first step towards making your beef stroganoff sauce is making a roux, which simply means a thick paste of flour + fat that forms the base of most creamy sauces, including the famous French mother sauces. Don’t be intimidated, though—just be sure that when it comes time to whisk the flour into the sauce (you’ll do it after the onions and mushrooms have been cooked in butter) you give it a good whisk and a little time—you want to cook out the flours’ rawness and create a cohesive roux before proceeding to the next step.
- Use full-fat sour cream, and don’t let it boil! After you add the sour cream to the sauce, you’ll want to warm it through (of course) but be careful not to let the sauce fully boil or you’ll run the risk of curdling the sour cream. We say to use full-fat because full-fat sour cream is sturdier than low-fat, and therefore less likely to curdle.
All the Tools You’ll Need to Make Stroganoff:
- Your favorite skillet.
- A good wooden spoon.
- Maybe a stock pot for boiling those egg noodles.
- A sharp knife, for slicing the steak.
More Easy Beef Recipes We Love:
Steak always feels a little special. Here are four of our very favorite ways to serve it—weeknight-friendly steak! What’s not to love?
- Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes
- Easy Steak Fajitas
- Philly Cheese Steak Skillet
- Garlic Butter Steak Stir-Fry
Well, That Was Easy!
Homemade stroganoff is easier than you’d think, right? And such a payoff! We hope this was a big hit in your home. Snap a photo of your finished beef stroganoff, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
