I love steak. Like, really love it. A four ounce cut of tenderloin grilled mediumare makes me all tingly.

But no restaurant serves a four ounce steak. They serve eight or ten or twelve ounce steaks. In spite of my very best efforts, I just can’t eat that much animal in one sitting. “Take it home!” Hubba Bubba always insists. So I do.

And then it sits neglected in a to-go box in the fridge until I throw it out. Because even though I love steak, what I don’t love… is leftover steak.

That is, until recently, when Hubba Bubba had grilled up several steaks for Sunday night dinner, and we and our dinner guests didn’t come anywhere close to eating it all. We had quite a bit left — way too much to allow it to languish in the fridge until clean-out day.

Determined to recycle the leftover steak, I contemplated tacos or fajitas, but that felt kind of… obvious. And then it occurred to me. Stroganoff. My friend Mary Beth’s mom, Becky Mobley, made a Beef Stroganoff many years ago that was SO fabulous, I still remember it.

And aside from being delicious, “Beef Stroganoff” also gives my husband — who is an adult — a great laugh every time anybody says it. So it has that going for it as well.

Anyway, after rifling through several online recipes and the Joy of Cooking, I have put together a Beef Stroganoff recipe that I’m pretty excited to share. There are quite a few steps, but they are EASY, I promise.

A side note — as pictured, I sliced my onions very thinly, but Hubba Bubba and I decided afterwards that chopped might be better. So that’s how I’ve listed it in the recipe below. However, most Stroganoff recipes tell you to discard the onion. I chose to keep the onions in because caramelized onions taste like magic, but if you’d prefer to discard yours, you may want to cut them into larger pieces that will be easier to fish out of the onion-mushroom-steak mixture.

Also, sour cream is a key ingredient in Beef Stroganoff, but the recommended amount varies widely from recipe to recipe. Some say use a whole cup, some say just three tablespoons, etc. I’ve used half a cup here, but feel free to adjust that amount if you’d prefer more or less. Same with the ketchup and the dijon mustard.

I think you’ll like this recipe as much as I do, especially if you feel like doing a peacock strut of pride any time you transform leftovers into a whole new dish, like, “Look at me, everybody! I am a WIZARD!”

So the next time you go to Malone’s for a steak, order the biggest one on the menu… and ask them to box up your leftovers.

BEEF STROGANOFF (pdf)

• 1/2 C sour cream
• 1 T ketchup
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 1/2 T butter, divided
• 1 T all-purpose flour
• 1 C beef stock, heated to a simmer (you can microwave it)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 C mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb (approx) beef tenderloin or other steak, COOKED, and cut into bite-size pieces
• Salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk together sour cream, ketchup, dijon mustard, and salt & pepper until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 T butter. Whisk in flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually whisk in beef stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Continue to stir and simmer for about 3-4 minutes or until sauce is thickened and smooth. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt remaining 2 T butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for about 7-8 minutes or until caramelized, stirring regularly. (If the onions start to burn, you can turn the heat down to medium. You can also add some extra beef stock to your pan, then scrape with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to get the brown bits up.) Add mushrooms, cooking for about 2-3 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through and beginning to shrink. Stir in steak and cook for about 2 more minutes or just until the steak is warmed through. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer steak mixture to a bowl and cover with aluminum foil. (Optional: remove onions from mixture and discard.)

Keeping your skillet over medium heat, pour in beef stock sauce and return it to medium heat but not boiling. Stir in sour cream mixture and whisk until smooth, heating until warm but still not boiling. Stir in steak mixture. Some recipes say to serve immediately, but I kept mine on the stove, covered over the lowest heat, and stirred it occasionally, and it kept just fine for about 20-30 minutes until I was ready to serve it.

Serve over egg noodles (cooked according to package directions). This goes beautifully with a side of peas and carrots.

xoxo,