Noah Solomon - Uncle Bud’s Hut 2/7/16

Derived from Alton Brown’s cookbook I’m Just Here For The Food

We've had beef stroganoff a few times at the hut -- it's not tremendously light compared to other more dehydrated meals, but it's hearty and filling and super easy to make. This recipe is derived from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For The Food cookbook, although you could easily adapt any version you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs of inexpensive beef roast such as eye of round
• flour for dredging
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 9 tbsp butter
• 6 tbsp canola oil
• 12 tbsp minced shallot
• 5 ½ tbsp minced garlic
• 1 ½ lbs brown mushrooms thinly sliced
• 500 ml boxed red wine
• 1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard blended into 6 tbsp beef stock (so it will incorporate easier)
• 6 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 6-7 cups of beef stock
• 12 tbsp sour cream
• 3 large packages of egg noodles

Yields: 16 servings

Weight: ~14 lbs

Prep:

One hour before cooking, place the roast in the freezer. It will firm up and make it easier to slice. Cut the meat into ½ inch strips. Season the meat and and the flour liberally with the salt and pepper. Allow the meat to rest a few minutes so that the salt can pull a little moisture to the surface, then dredge in seasoned flour (see Note).

Directions:

Begin boiling water for the egg noodles -- at altitude it may take a while for the water to get going. Once boiling (and close to meal time), drop all of the egg noodles in the water.

Heat a large skillet to its hottest temperature. Once hot, add 3 tablespoons each of the butter and the oil. When the butter begins to foam, add just enough of the meat to barely cover the bottom of the skillet. Do not crowd the pan. Turn the strips until they’re brown on all sides, then remove to a rack resting over a pan. Continue browning the meat in batches, adding more butter and oil as needed.

When all of the meat has been browned, pour off any grease from the pan, add the remaining butter, then add the shallot, garlic, and mushrooms to the skillet and sauté until brown. Using a shaker or sifter, sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the seasoned flour over the top of the vegetables and toss to coat. Deglaze the skillet with the wine, using a spatula to scrape up any stubborn bits.

Stir in the mustard and return the meat and any drippings to the skillet. Add enough beef stock to barely cover the meat. Drop the temperature to a simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream and serve over wide egg noodles or rice.

Note: Seasoned flour is typically a simple mixture of salt, pepper, and flour, but depending on the recipe, it may involve any number of different seasonings. What you’re looking for when you taste—and you should get into the habit of tasting everything—is a subtle background of both salt and pepper.