Fancy but not Fancy (Beef Stroganoff Two Ways)

Dinner Party Ready, with filet mignon
and brandy

Beef Stroganoff. It just sounds fancy. But in reality, it’s one of the easiest dishes to cook for a holiday (we had it for Christmas Dinner last year), date night in, or yes, a quick weeknight meal. Here’s a two-in-one recipe — you can make it with ground beef or you can get fancy with filet mignon and good dose of brandy. You take your pick which one to serve to the kiddos on a Wednesday night!

Beef Stroganoff Two Ways

Serves 4-6

Easy Week Night Dinner, with
ground beef and sans brandy (or not!)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. filet mignon cut into bite sized pieces and seasoned with plenty of Kosher salt and ground black pepper (or 1 lb. ground beef)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 lb. mushrooms
• 3/4 cup sour cream 
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth + an additional 1/2 cup combined with 2 TBS of corn starch to make a “slurry"
• 3/4 cup brandy + a splash more to add at the end (you can leave this out for the weeknight version)
• 1 TBS dijon mustard
• 2  TBS corn starch combined with 1/2 beef broth to make a “slurry”
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4TBS butter, divided
• Salt and Pepper to season the meat
• 1 bag Egg noodles, cooked according to the package directions, drained
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet on a high heat and brown the meat. If you are using steak, do it in two batches, being careful not to over cook! Just get some color and then remove the meat to a foil-covered bowl covered. If you are using ground beef, break it up with a wooden spoon, but keep the pieces fairly large, rather than small crumbles. Season it with a good pinch of Kosher salt and some ground black pepper about half way through. Remove to paper towel lined bowl to drain. Cover with foil. 
• Add 2 TBS of the butter to the pan and sauté the onions and mushrooms over a medium heat until they are soft. Then stir in the dijon mustard. 
• Next pour in 1 1/2 cups of the beef broth, plus the brandy if you are using it. Bring this mixture to a boil and then spoon in the cornstarch slurry. Stir to combine and thicken. 
• Now adjust the heat to medium-low, add in the meat and any juices, and gently stir in the sour cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. (I like to add another 2 TBS of brandy as well).
• Serve over noodles that have been tossed with the remaining 2 TBS of butter and the parsley.

Enjoy!