One of the things he actually got to eat was real Russian Stroganoff. It was made with Venison and served on a bed of mashed potatoes. He said it was melt-in-your-mouth-would-even-please-chef-Ramsay good, which of course made me jealous. Immediately.
Since I've never tasted real Russian Stroganoff, I have nothing to compare to, but I did grow up eating a "beefy noodle" dish that my mother often called Stroganoff. I'm pretty sure comparing the two is like comparing fresh Gelato to a McDonald's Ice cream cone...but, to me they both taste great on a hot day.
So - here's what you need to make a cheater Stroganoff - or beefy noodles, whatever you want to call it.
1 package egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, cubed
1 tbsp garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups beef broth (or equal amount of your favorite lipton soup mix, prepared to package directions.)
1 cup of sour cream (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook and drain egg noodles, set aside.
Brown and drain ground beef, set aside.
In a large sautee pan, heat the two tablespoons olive oil. Add to the pan the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender and translucent. Set aside in a separate dish.
Do NOT clean sautee pan.
In the same sautee pan you used for the onions and garlic, add the 6 tbsp butter and melt, stirring constantly to loosen bits from the bottom of the pan. Once the butter is fully melted, make a roux by adding the flour. Cook the flour until it is foamy and toasted brown, about three to five minutes on medium high.
Whisk in the beef broth stirring constantly and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan to get all the 'bits' off. When the mixture is thickened to the consistency of yogurt (store bought, not greek...) add the onions and ground beef. Cook until heated through.
Rinse egg noodles with hot water, and serve egg noodles with a ladle full of beef/onion mixture.
You can use Lipton beefy onion soup mix prepared to package directions instead of the beef broth (it's yummy!), you can also add in mushrooms with the onion and garlic. If you want a creamy sauce, stir in 1 cup of sour cream into the sauce just before serving.
Enjoy!
