Beef Stroganoff (Stroganov) is a tasty beef dish with a creamy sour cream sauce, traditionally served with rice or potato sticks in Russia from where this particular recipe emerged. Here I served my Easy Creamy Beef Stroganoff over rice and splurged, using tender filet mignon to make this come to the dinner table fast!

Tougher cuts of meat may be used in this recipe, such as chuck steak, which will deliver a great flavor to the dish, also. Traditionally, the tougher cuts of meat are tossed in flour and batch fried in a skillet to brown. If you use this method, there may be no need for the cornstarch step in this recipe, as the flour will thicken the sauce. However, you will be cooking the meat for at least one hour in the broth until it becomes tender, then proceed with the next step.

I opted for the faster approach here and you can even skip a step, by ordering steamed rice from your favorite Chinese take-out. :)


Ingredients

4 cups beef stock or broth
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Olive oil for sautéing
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 1/4 lb. filet mignon, sliced into thin strips
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with water
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 oz. butter (optional)

Method

1. Start by bringing the stock or broth to a simmer and add the thyme stalks and the bay leaf. Let this simmer for one hour, covered.

2. Next, heat a large skillet with a little olive oil over a medium-high flame. Working in batches, add the meat and brown gently if using tenderloin. Set aside in a large bowl.

Add more oil to the pan and cook the onions and mushrooms for 3 minutes over a medium flame, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook further until the mushrooms are soft and the onions are opaque, stirring occasionally. Add the beef back to the pan and stir everything together well.

3. Raise the heat to high and add the broth (discarding the thyme stalks and bay leaf first,) to the pan. Bring to a boil and add the cornstarch mixture if using tenderloin. Boil for at least one minute, stirring often and then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for a further 8 - 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream, then the butter if using - combine well. The butter will give the sauce a silky texture.

Serve over hot rice, crispy potato sticks, crunchy French fries or egg noodles. Enjoy!