Beef Stroganoff with Spaetzle

Beef Stroganoff and Spaetzle

Having a January birthday, every year I picked a warm and comforting dish for my “Birthday Dinner” choice.  I almost always chose my mom’s beef stroganoff. While I loved it growing up, now that I cook for myself, I prefer to use fresher ingredients (instead of ground beef, canned mushrooms, canned cream of mushroom, and sour cream), so here is a cleaner version of this recipe.

(Mom – Don’t worry, I’ll always love that dish!)

Ingredients for Beef Stroganoff: 

1 lbs pieces of beef, trimmed, cubed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup onions, finely chopped

1 pint mushrooms, sliced

1 cup beef broth

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon dill, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

For the spaetzle:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Make the spaetzle: 
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

Whisk the eggs and milk, then combine with flour and salt. 

Place the batter in a colander (with large holes) and using a rubber spatula, push batter through into the boiling water.  
Boil for 2 to 3 minutes until firm. Drain.
Repeat with remaining batter. 

Beef Stroganoff:

Pat meat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat until very hot. Working in batches, add meat in single layer and cook just until brown on outside, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until tender, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with pepper and sauté until liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.

Add beef broth.  Simmer until liquid thickens and just coats mushrooms, about 14 minutes. Stir in sour cream and Dijon mustard.

Add meat and any accumulated juices from baking sheet.

Simmer over medium-low heat until meat is heated through but still medium-rare, about 2 minutes.

Stir in chopped dill and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Warm spaetzle by sautéing in skillet with tablespoons butter until warmed through.  Top with beef and additional herbs. 

Original Recipe based on: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beef-Stroganoff-102134#ixzz2t8CshRVx

Spaetzle - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/homemade-spaetzle-recipe.html?oc=linkback