Elk stroganoff blends the rich, robust taste of elk meat with a luxuriously creamy sauce, delivering a dish with great flavor that's both hearty and satisfying. The savory sour cream sauce infused with mushrooms and onions has great flavor and perfectly complements the tender elk meat. This gourmet twist on a classic comfort food is the perfect recipe for lean elk roasts!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Comforting and Hearty: This classic recipe is the ultimate comfort food. The elk meat provides a wild twist on the original Russian dish. The savory sauce has an amazingly delicious flavor and is the perfect complement to lean elk meat! For a similar dish with ground elk, try Swedish elk meatballs!
Simple, Fresh Ingredients: Stroganoff is a simple recipe that packs a punch with amazing flavor. All you need are a few fresh ingredients and simple pantry staples. No cream of mushroom soup is needed here!
Weeknight Friendly: After the veggies and meat are prepped (which you can do the day or the morning before), this dish cooks in just 30 minutes, making it a great weeknight option with little effort!
Ingredients
- Venison Stock: I like to keep homemade venison stock on hand, but if you don't have any, you can use beef broth instead. For a lighter flavor, you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Elk Roast: Elk roast can be replaced with elk steak, venison roast, or any wild game meat or red meat of your choosing. You can even use ground venison if you'd like!
- Sour Cream: Sour cream makes for a deliciously rich sauce for stroganoff. You can use several other ingredients instead, but they will affect the consistency of the sauce. Greek yogurt, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, or crème fraîche can be used in place of sour cream.
- Cremini Mushrooms: I prefer cremini mushrooms for stroganoff but you can use any fresh mushrooms you'd like. You can also use rehydrated dried mushrooms if you'd prefer.
- Spicy Brown Mustard: Spicy brown mustard adds a unique tangy flavor to the stroganoff sauce. You can also use dijon mustard, stone ground mustard, or yellow mustard. Tomato paste can also provide a similar effect.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
How To Make Elk Stroganoff
This recipe is easy to make, but there are a few tips and tricks to ensure success. Read below for how to make it!
Step 1: Partially thaw the elk roast. Slice elk roast into thin strips, about 3-4" long and ⅛-¼" thick, while the roast is still partially frozen.
Step 2: Place the strips of meat into a container lined with paper towels and refrigerate until fully thawed.
Step 3: Season the meat with salt and black pepper. Toss to coat the meat in the seasoning.
Step 4: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and let it melt.
Step 5: Add half of the seasoned meat to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the meat is browned on the bottom.
Step 6: Flip the meat and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove the cooked meat to a bowl and repeat with the other half of the meat.
Step 7: Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and reabsorbed it, stirring occasionally.
Step 8: Add 1 tablespoon of butter, diced onions, minced garlic, and thyme sprigs to the pan. Melt butter, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Sauté onion and mushroom mixture for 5-6 minutes, or until the onions are softened.
Step 9: Sprinkle all-purpose flour over the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 10: Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard to the pan. Stir to combine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Step 11: Add sour cream and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has reached your desired consistency.
Step 12: Add the meat back to the pan and stir to combine the meat and sour cream sauce. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until the meat is heated through.
Step 13: Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, if needed.
Step 14: Serve over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Garnish with smoked paprika and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: The process of cooking mushrooms without fat in the pan is known as dry sautéing. Allowing the mushrooms to release their liquid and reabsorb it results in super flavorful mushrooms without being too greasy.
What to Serve with Elk Stroganoff
Elk stroganoff is best served on a bed of egg noodles with a sprinkling of smoked paprika and fresh parsley for garnish. But, you can serve this delicious meal with other starches such as mashed potatoes, rice, fluffy sourdough bread, or your favorite pasta.
For vegetables, I like to serve garlic-roasted green beans or a simple green salad with homemade honey mustard dressing. A glass of red wine on the side is a great choice as well. However you choose to serve it, you're going to love this delicious homemade comfort food recipe!
Recipe FAQ's:
Sour cream makes for a deliciously rich sauce for stroganoff. You can use several other ingredients instead, but they will affect the consistency of the sauce. Greek yogurt, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, or crème fraîche can be used in place of sour cream.
Wild game inherently has less fat than most domestic meats and needs special care to ensure an enjoyable dining experience. Some cuts of venison are naturally tender, while other cuts are not. Backstraps (loins), tenderloins, and some sirloin steaks are naturally tender. So, these cuts can be cooked "hot and fast" and served medium-rare and will be tender. However, tougher cuts like shanks, neck roasts, and shoulders need a "low and slow" preparation to break down connective tissue and become tender.
Stroganoff sauce can be thickened in a number of ways. First, cook the vegetables with a small amount of flour before adding the sauce ingredients. The use of sour cream can also thicken the sauce. If the sauce isn't thick enough for your liking, you can also thicken it with a cornstarch slurry a few minutes before serving.
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Annie
📖 Recipe
Elk Stroganoff
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb elk roast (or venison, moose, etc.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon butter, divided
- 1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups wild game stock (or beef stock)
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 cup sour cream
- smoked paprika (optional, for garnish)
- chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Partially thaw the elk roast. Slice elk roast into thin strips, about 3-4" long and ⅛-¼" thick, while the roast is still partially frozen. Place the strips of meat into a paper towel-lined container and refrigerate until fully thawed.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper. Toss to coat the meat in the seasoning.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and let it melt.
- Add half of the seasoned meat to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the meat is browned on the bottom. Flip the meat and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove the cooked meat to a bowl and repeat with the other half of the meat.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and reabsorbed it, stirring occasionally. This process is called dry sauteing and results in super flavorful mushrooms.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter, diced onions, minced garlic, and thyme sprigs to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the onions are softened.
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Add sour cream and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has reached your desired consistency.
- Add the meat back to the pan and stir to combine. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until the meat is heated through.
- Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Garnish with smoked paprika and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- I like to keep homemade venison stock on hand, but if you don't have any, you can use beef broth instead. For a lighter flavor, you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Elk roast can be replaced with elk steak, venison roast or any wild game meat or red meat of your choosing. You can even use ground venison if you'd like!
- Sour cream makes for a deliciously rich sauce for stroganoff. You can use several other ingredients instead, but they will affect the consistency of the sauce. Greek yogurt, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, or crème fraîche can be used in place of sour cream.
- I prefer cremini mushrooms for stroganoff but you can use any fresh mushrooms you'd like. You can also use rehydrated dried mushrooms if you'd prefer.
- Spicy brown mustard adds a unique tangy flavor to the stroganoff sauce. You can also use dijon mustard, stone ground mustard, or yellow mustard. Tomato paste can also provide a similar effect.
- I prefer cast iron when cooking meat and mushrooms because it holds heat well and browns the ingredients beautifully. You can use any large skillet, large frying pan, or even a dutch oven as well.
- The process of cooking mushrooms without fat in the pan is known as dry sautéing. Allowing the mushrooms to release their liquid and reabsorb it results in super flavorful mushrooms without being too greasy.
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