Beef Stroganoff

To me, it doesn’t get much better than beef stroganoff. It’s a dish I’ve tried to perfect for as long as I’ve cooked, and while certainly a little indulgent it’s one of my favorite comfort foods. My recipe has evolved a lot over the years, but with a triumphant “wow—this is the one” from my wife I think I’m finally there.

  • 1lb of tender beef (like top sirloin) cut into thin panels
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 1/2lb of cremini or shiitake mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • A bit of good beef stock (veal if available)
  • A few sprigs of fresh tarragon, chopped
  • A few grates of fresh nutmeg
  • Salt & pepper
  • Egg noodles (I prefer homemade noodles shaped thin & wide—about the size of Monopoly money)
  1. Melt 3 Tbsp. of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Increase the heat and add beef, salt, and pepper, cooking quickly but taking care not to burn the butter.
  2. Remove beef to a bowl, reduce heat to medium, and add shallots and garlic to pan. Sautée for several minutes until shallots are soft and have soaked up most of the drippings.
  3. Deglaze the pan with white wine scraping up any fond. Reduce this liquid until nearly evaporated.
  4. Remove onions to same bowl as meat, melt 3 Tbsp. of butter in same pan, and sautée mushrooms. Add tarragon and nutmeg toward end.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add sour cream. Place beef and shallots back into the pan to rewarm. If you like your sauce a little thinner (as we do for bread sopping) stir in a little beef stock. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve over egg noodles. A little garlic bread makes for a fine accompaniment.

A few notes about this recipe: (1) the choice of thin beef panels instead of cubes, strips, or ground beef is a texture preference—I like how an almost carpaccio-thin cut of beef blends with the noodles (2) some recipes have you dredge the beef in flour to create a pan roux with the butter, but I don’t feel this recipe needs any help in the thickening department (3) in the past I’d deglaze with a more traditional red wine, but I like how white wine turns the shallots into bright, acidic chunks of happy that balance the richness of the cream and the umami of the beef and mushrooms.