STROGANOFF

I had some sour cream left over in the fridge that I wanted to utilize in a savory dish. I thought of Swedish Meatballs. After looking up a few meatball recipes, I realized it wasn't Swedish Meatballs that had sour cream, but Beef Stroganoff. I still liked the idea of meatballs, so I made my own variation of this dish, using ground meat instead of the commonly used sirloin strips.

I used ground turkey in my recipe because it was what I had on hand. While I liked the turkey, I think next time I will try ground beef. The richer flavor of the beef would pair well with the tangy and creamy sauce.

Serve the stroganoff over noodles or pasta.

MEATBALL STROGANOFF

1lb ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms (about 10-12 medium mushrooms)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 - 3/4 cup beef broth
3 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 T flour
1 t smoked paprika
1 t kosher salt
1 t black pepper
1/4 t ground nutmeg
Noodles or Pasta

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and cook noodles or pasta according to package directions.

In a bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Stir all ingredients until well combined. Form meat into 1-1/2 inch balls to make meatballs.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer. Brown meatballs on one side 3-4 minutes. Turn meatballs to brown other side. Once browned on the other side, gently push the meatballs to one side of the pan and add the onions to the other half of the pan. Cook the onions until translucent and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir the meatballs and onions to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into a bowl or plate and set aside.

Add the mushrooms to the same skillet and cook over medium heat about 7-8 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms to meatballs that have been set aside.

To make the roux, add butter to the same skillet and heat over medium high heat until melted. Add the flour and stir continuously to make a paste. Let the paste cook about 2 minutes. Slowly add 1/2 cup beef broth, whisking constantly, while bringing to a boil. (If you have any lumps, use the back of a wooden spoon to smooth them out). You should now have a thick, creamy, bubbly sauce. If the mixture is too thick add more broth as needed. Stir in the ground nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and stir in sour cream. Add meatballs, onions and mushrooms to sauce. Cook mixture over medium heat about 5 minutes to heat. Do not allow the mixture to boil as this may cause the sour cream to curdle.

Serve over noodles or pasta.