No Russian this Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite recipes of all time, but not the classic Russian version, which had neither mushrooms nor onions, and was served over rice or fried potatoes.

No, I prefer this this Americanized rendition that gets to sit on a pile of wide buttered egg noodles. There's something about the rich, creamy, tender beef wrapped inside those fat ribbons of pasta that really does it for me.

Speaking of tender beef, this isn't the quick-seared beef tenderloin filet you often see used in restaurants. That version is nice once in a while, but I prefer this slower, beefier recipe, which uses a much less expensive beef chuck roast. That's right, more money for vodka!

One big reason I love beef Stroganoff so much is the sauce that features a substantial amount of sour cream. Of course, that's great news when you have access to the world's finest homemade sour cream supply, as demonstrated in the recent creme fraiche video.

This is a fairly lean version, as most similar recipes call for more cream to create a larger volume of sauce. This is something you can easily adjust to your tastes. I like a little thicker version, with just enough sauce to coat the meat and noodles.

Remember, the great thing about creme fraiche is you can cook it to reduce and thicken the sauce if need be. So, start a batch of creme fraiche soon, and you'll have 2 days to plan the rest of beef Stroganoff dinner. Prijatnovo appetita!

Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 pounds beef chuck roast salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp butter 1/2 onion, sliced or diced 8 oz sliced mushrooms 2 cloves garlic 1 1/2 tbsp flour 1/2 cup white wine 2 cups beef broth, divided 1/2 to 1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream 1 tbsp fresh sliced chives