Beef stroganoff: rich and punchy when made properly

• 15 January 2021, 5:50am
• From Spectator Life

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Alexander Larman

What happened to the Rishi Sunak I knew at school?

Makes: Enough for 4 

Takes: 15 minutes 

Bakes: No time at all 

1 tablespoon oil 

1 onion, peeled and sliced 

10g butter 

250g mushrooms

sliced 500g beef fillet 

2 tablespoons plain flour 

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard 

200g sour cream 200g beef stock 

1 tablespoon brandy (optional) 

1. Slice the fillet against the grain into centimetre-wide strips. 
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan until very hot. Sear the beef strips in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes on one side and then a couple of minutes on the other; just long enough to create a dark-golden crust. Set the cooked beef to one side. 
3. Turn down the heat in the pan, to a medium heat, and add the butter. When it is foaming, add the onion and the mushrooms, and cook until golden. 
4. Stir the flour into the buttery onions and mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes until the flour is sizzling and beginning to smell nutty.
5. Stir in the beef stock, and bring up to a gentle simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir through the sour cream and whole grain mustard. Return the beef to the pan, and stir, to coat the beef with the sauce. Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning as necessary, then stir through the brandy. Serve straight away; if you need to reheat the sauce, do so gently to avoid the sour cream in the sauce splitting – and don’t leave on the heat, or you’ll overcook the beef.