Formica’s Best Slow-Cooked Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Today we’ve got the best beef Stroganoff recipe I’ve ever had. It comes from my friend Josh, who, for reasons unbeknownst to me, is affectionately called “Formica.” Josh doesn’t have a blog (or even a website) to link to, so this came down the good old Web 1.0 way: email.

Here’s Josh outlining his easy beef Stroganoff recipe and a little food science to boot. And yes, this recipe is gluten free. Woot! Be sure to also check out his perfect chocolate martini recipe.

Yes, the BEST Beef Stroganoff.

Beef Stroganoff has been one of my favorite foods since I was a very young boy. Prepared by my mother, it was diced onions, cream of mushroom soup and ground beef. Prepared by others it was sometimes a thin savory sauce over strips of beef, other times a cabernet-doused stir fry with onions that crunched. As a dish, easy beef Stroganoff has an endless number of regional varieties, ingredient combinations, and preferred preparations.

This easy beef Stroganoff recipe has been written from the ground up by myself, harnessing over twenty years of cooking experience to deliver a dish that fits my tastes to a T:

• Rich, bold beef flavor
• The wine accent and sour cream touch that Stroganoff is known for
• Hearty potato instead of bland, limp egg noodles

Key techniques are applied to craft a well rounded dish:

• Generating plenty of fond in the browning process – leverage an electric skillet if you have one
• Cooling the slow-cooked dish completely for a tastier, more toothsome meat

On top of all this, the dish is entirely wheat and gluten free. Acidophilus-enriched sour cream or non-dairy sour topping (such as Imo) can be used for those who do not tolerate milk products, or it may be omitted entirely – it will still be delicious!

Formica's Righteous Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Author: Stephanie Stiavetti

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 2 hr

Total Time: 2 hr 15 mins

Nutrition Facts

Formica's Righteous Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 744 Calories from Fat 504

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 56g 86%

Saturated Fat 24g 120%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 23g

Cholesterol 147mg 49%

Sodium 753mg 31%

Potassium 1029mg 29%

Total Carbohydrates 16g 5%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Protein 34g 68%

Vitamin A 9%

Vitamin C 23%

Calcium 60%

Iron 7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This is the BEST beef stroganoff recipe. It will make your house smell amazing as it cooks, and will taste delicious when you sit down to eat. This dish is served over smashed potatoes instead of noodles.Unlike typical egg noodles, potatoes bring a richness of hearty flavor that combines very well with the beef stroganoff instead of being lost in it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
• 3 pounds top round/london broil, cut into either 1/2 inch strips or 1.5 inch cubes
• 2 cups cabernet sauvignon, divided
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• 6 medium Russet potatoes, boiled and smashed to a rough texture
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until carmelized, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the onions and garlic to a bowl and cover with foil.
2. Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté mushrooms until they are tender. Set aside and cover with oil.
3. Pat dry and lightly salt the beef. Fry the beef on medium-high heat to brown. You are not trying to cook the beef through, only browning it to develop flavor. If you use strips they will probably cook through, and that’s okay. Tip: meat won’t brown if there’s no space around it to dissipate liquid; it’ll just steam, and then you’ll get grey meat that tastes boring. Leave a reasonable amount of space around each piece of meat as it cooks, and turn occasionally with a wooden spoon. Do multiple batches as needed and remove finished batches to a bowl and cover with foil.
4. When you are done cooking the meat, reduce the heat to medium, let any remaining juices start to cook off, and then deglaze with 1 cup Cabernet. Stir and get the fond off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon – you should have a whole bunch of it, and this is where your flavor is going to come from.
5. Add the stock and the remaining Cabernet. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and add the onions, garlic, and meat back into the pan. Stir to combine. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours.
6. After 1 hour, combine 2 teaspoon corn starch and 1/4 cup cold water. Stir until dissolved, add to the mix, and then stir immediately to thicken the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste; this is subjective and dependent on the saltiness of your stock.
7. Stir the mushrooms into the mix for the last half hour of cooking. If you put them in at the beginning, they will disintegrate.
8. Remove the beef Stroganoff from the heat. Let cool, semi-covered (i.e. not totally exposed, but not sealed so you don’t get a layer of condensation on top), until room temperature; about 1 hour. You don't have to allow it to cool before serving, but the flavors meld beautifully once it's lowered in temperature a bit. if you're short on time, feel free to skip this cooling stage.

To serve:

1. Heat potatoes and mix with butter. Heat the beef Stroganoff through until piping hot. Remove from heat, add the sour cream, and stir to combine. Serve immediately scooped over a mountain of potatoes on each plate, and behold the deliciousness.

Food Science: Why the cooling stage?

This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.