Classic Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is one of those dishes that I don't make often enough. Tender beef, mushrooms, onions, and a creamy sauce over buttered egg noodles—there isn't much not to like here.

I came across this version from Sip and Feast on YouTube, and what caught my attention was the way he seasons and marinates the beef before it ever hits the pan. Most Stroganoff recipes I've made go straight from slicing the beef to cooking it. This one gives the meat a couple of hours with Worcestershire sauce, allspice, and nutmeg, and those two spices make it a little different from the usual version.

There are a few steps here, but none of them are difficult. Do the chopping and marinate the beef ahead of time and the rest comes together pretty easily.

Annotated Cooking Notes: Slice the beef against the grain. This is probably the most important thing you can do for tender Stroganoff. Flank steak has a very obvious grain, so it's pretty easy to see which direction those muscle fibers are running. Cut across them, not with them.

Ingredients

For the Beef

1½ pounds flank steak, sliced into thin 2-inch pieces against the grain

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons allspice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Stroganoff

1 pound wide egg noodles

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1½ pounds cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

6 tablespoons butter, divided

2 medium yellow onions, sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup dry white wine

3 cups low-sodium beef stock

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Up to 2 cups reserved pasta water, as needed

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, optional

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Marinate and Sear the Beef

1. Slice the flank steak into thin, bite-sized strips, making sure your final cuts go against the grain.

2. Put the beef in a bowl or zip-top bag and add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix everything together so the beef is evenly coated.

3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight.

4. When you're ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and sear the beef until nicely browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Work in batches if necessary so you don't overcrowd the pan.

5. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and loosely cover it with foil.

6. Pour about ½ cup of the beef stock into the hot pan and scrape up all those browned pieces from the bottom. Pour this flavorful liquid in with the remaining beef stock and set it aside.

Make the Stroganoff

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the egg noodles.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

3. Add the mushrooms and cook until they first release their liquid and then begin to brown. Season with a little salt and pepper, remove them from the pan, and set them aside.

4. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil along with 3 tablespoons of butter to the same pan.

5. Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes, or until they are soft.

6. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Before draining them, save some of the pasta water. Toss the drained noodles with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.

8. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and cook for about a minute, stirring so there aren't any visible streaks of raw flour.

9. Pour in the white wine and beef stock. Increase the heat and scrape the bottom of the pan as everything comes together.

10. Bring the sauce to a boil and whisk for a few minutes until it is smooth and begins to thicken.

11. Lower the heat and return the mushrooms and beef to the pan.

12. Stir in the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce and let everything gently simmer.

13. Add the heavy cream and sour cream. Stir well and continue cooking for another couple of minutes.

14. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. If the sauce is thicker than you like, add a splash of the reserved pasta water. If it's too thin, let it simmer a little longer.

15. Spoon the Beef Stroganoff over the buttered egg noodles and finish with a little chopped parsley if you want it.

This is definitely a few steps beyond opening a can of cream of mushroom soup and calling it Stroganoff, but it's still very manageable. And the combination of browned beef, mushrooms, Dijon, Worcestershire, and sour cream makes the extra effort worth it.

Source: Adapted from James Delmage, Sip and Feast, “Beef Stroganoff.”