Once you get the hang of it, beef stroganoff isn’t difficult to make. The one-pot meal follows the same steps — brown the meat and mushrooms, simmer the egg noodles in beef broth, and fold in the sour cream — to reveal a hearty dish at the end of the process. Although it’s difficult to mess up, you may be making missteps with beef stroganoff that affect its flavor.
Overcooking the beef or not sauteing the mushrooms long enough are easy miscalculations that can crop up, but for Austin Stull, Executive Chef at The Grillroom Chophouse & Wine Bar in Chicago, the biggest mistake comes from what you leave out of the dish. “Use booze,” he advises. “Using alcohol is a great way to infuse aromatics into your stroganoff or any other seared beef dish.”
A splash of booze is the secret to richer beef stroganoff, and there are plenty of options that work well with the dish. Red wine is a classic steak pairing, and the velvety berry notes add a touch of sweetness to the dish. Cognac’s spicy, oaky elements also do well to pull out the depth of beef stroganoff. Whichever booze you pick, make sure to add it towards the beginning of the cooking process. Deglazing the pan with the spirit after sauteing the alliums, gives the alcohol plenty of time to meld with the other ingredients.
What kind of alcohol should you use in beef stroganoff?
When whipping up a pot of creamy beef stroganoff, Stull suggests going with a spirit that both matches the recipe’s depth and balances it out. “A half cup of brandy or a dessert wine like sherry will give a pop of sweetness that will help cut through the richness of the mushroom and cream,” he says. Both picks are on the honeyed side, with sherry having a slight acidity that helps temper the hearty dish.
The dessert wine is complete with notes of nuts and fruit, and you can play up the robust taste of beef stroganoff or balance it out depending on what kind of sherry you use. Oloroso sherry has a resplendent blend of flavor notes including truffles, tobacco, and caramel, while Fino is a dry, acidic wine flavored with notes of almonds, herbs, and dough. Brandy is robust and fruity, with different varieties perfect for enhancing beef stroganoff. Cognac’s warm flavor infuses the dish with a richer taste, but for a fruitier touch, Calvados’ apple and pear notes sweeten the umami-filled meal.
Adding the booze at the beginning of cooking helps to properly infuse it, but don’t forget to give it time to get well acquainted before moving on in the process. “Just make sure you cook it out thoroughly in the deglazing process to rid yourself of any acrid flavor,” says Stull. Let the booze reduce until it’s syrupy before adding the beef broth.
