Beef Stroganoff

prep time:: 1 hour, 10 minutes
cook time:: 15 minutes
total time:: 1 hours, 25 minutes

Makes 4 servings

from Clay: There are as many variations on this as there are chili, but unlike chili, the origins of Beef Stroganoff are clear. The first recipe in print was by Elena Molokhovets in the 1890s, and called for beef, allspice, salt and pepper, mustard, and sour cream. Almost immediately, people started adding ingredients (mushrooms, onions, tomato paste, etc.) This is my recipe, which, like the original, is fast and simple. I have adapted this over the years from different variations. I don’t see the point of the tomato paste, and onions, mushrooms, and beef broth improve the dish, so you won’t see tomato paste here, but you will see the other ingredients. Stroganoff is traditionally served over deep-fried matchstick potatoes (French fries), not rice or noodles. Most recipes call for tenderloin or sirloin, though top round works perfectly well, as long as you slice it thinly across the grain. Use a good quality mustard (please, no canary yellow French’s here).

ingredients

Beef

1 lb. top sirloin, sirloin, or tenderloin
1 medium onion
1/4 lb. mushrooms
4 T. rendered suet or clarified butter
1 T. flour
2 T. prepared mustard
1 c. beef stock
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
oil
salt

directions

1
1. First, peel the potatoes and cut them into matchsticks about 1/4 inch thick. Submerse them in ice water and let them soak for an hour.
2
2. Preheat the oven to 300. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or deep skillet, and drain potatoes thoroughly. When the oil reaches 320, add the potatoes fry them for five minutes, then remove. Raise the heat of the oil to 375, then add the potatoes and fry until crisp and golden, about 3-4 minutes. Remove to a pan with a rack, sprinkle with salt, and put in the oven to keep them warm.
3
3. Slice the beef thinly (the thinner, the better) across the grain. Peel the onion, then slice in half lenghwise (from the top to the root). Lay each onion half down on the cut end and slice thinly into semi-circles. Slice mushrooms thinly.
4
4. Heat 2 T. of the suet or butter over medium heat in a large skillet and saute the onions until transparent. Remove with a slotted spoon. Raise the heat to high, and saute the mushrooms for three minutes or so, until soft and darkened. Remove.
5
5. Heat the remaining 2 T. of the suet or butter over very high heat, and a few at a time, saute the beef slices very quickly for only two minutes or so on each side (no, you do NOT want to brown the beef, and no, you do NOT want it completely done yet). Repeat until all the beef has been sauteed.
6
6. Add the flour to the fat in the skillet and make a roux. Add the mustard, salt, and pepper, and blend, then stir in the beef stock, stirring constantly over high heat until the mixture thickens and boils. Stir in the sour cream, lower the heat, and cook for an additional two minutes. Stir the beef, onions, and mushrooms into the sauce and serve with the potatoes.