Will we go upstate this weekend? Won’t we? It’s all weather dependent and there is a storm coming. I suspect that rather than drive into a Catskill snowstorm, Suzi and I will hunker down in New York City and find some comfort food.
Ordinarily, I would opt for meatloaf. But, sometimes, you want elegant comfort food and that is this dish. This particular recipe comes from Wagshal’s Deli in Washington, D.C. Wagshal’s is an institution, opening 1925 and serving up serious comfort food for almost a century. This dish is a community favorite and certain to become one for you, too.
Wagshal’s Beef Stroganoff
Yield: serves 8
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
2 pounds button mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 3 ½ cups)
5 pounds sirloin tip or boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 quart (4 cups) veal stock or beef broth, homemade or store-bought, or more as needed to cover the beef
⅔ cup finely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
2 cups sour cream
1 pound wide egg noodles, cooked and buttered (optional), for serving
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid is released yet the mushrooms are still firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the onions and mushrooms to a medium bowl; set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the same pan over high heat. Working in batches, sear the beef strips until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture. Add the stock, half of the dill, and the salt and pepper.
Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake until the beef is fork- tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the sour cream until well blended. Add the remaining dill and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve over the buttered egg noodles, if you like.
Source: Mr. and Mrs. Sunday’s Suppers by Lorraine Wallace [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015]