Skillet Beef Stroganoff

I'm all for less dishes when cooking, so when and episode of America's Test Kitchen (or actually, it was their new sister show from CooksCountry.com) featured one-pot Beef Stroganoff, I took note. Last night I made it for dinner. It is indeed fairly easy and done in one pot. The final product was absolutely fantastic. The tiny bit of lemon juice added at the end brightened the flavor, and the bit of brandy in it added a rich note of meaty, woodsy complexity, aided by the meat and mushrooms. It was soooo good I could hardly stop eating it. 

Though called a "skillet" dish, i did mine in a large saute pan. I pounded the pound and a half of trimmed sirloin tip into about a half inch or so thickness, cut into 2 inch with the grain strips, then into 1/2 inch across the grain strips. They were sauteed in two batches in a tablespoon of oil and set aside. A few more Tablespoons of oil and I sweated 10 oz. of sliced baby bellas and a finely chopped onion till dry, then a couple tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Slowly adding 1-1/2 cup each of chicken and beef broth, then 1/3 cup brandy and finally the meat and juice and simmered on low till tender. Finally about 2/3 pound of wide egg noodles added and cooked al dente. Finished of with 3/4 cup sour cream and just two teaspoons of lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste and you're all set.

This is an excellent, excellent dish and fairly easy to make. It can be done in about an hour. The recipe is on the Cooks Country web site. I highly recommend it!