Paprika Beef Stroganoff

My husband has never been one for creamy sauces where heavy dairy products are introduced into the mix. Whenever I would suggest anything remotely connected to a white creamy sauce, it was like presenting a vampire with a necklace of garlic.....just about the same reaction. The other night I decided to tread on thin ice, and make beef stroganoff  where the star ingredient is not only paprika, but one of the dreaded  ingredients "sour cream". To soften the blow, I decided to serve it with plain healthy riced potatoes. By not adding butter or cream to the potatoes, and using a potato ricer instead of mashing them produced a fluffy light side dish.....the perfect balance to compliment the thick and creamy sauce. So you can imagine my amazement that this dish, which I had left dormant for so long, was a big hit with him. So here is my take on this classic dish which was so popular back in the 1980's, but vanquished from my dining table until it made its comeback recently and is here to stay.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. sirloin beef cut into roughly 1" cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
2 tablespoons butter
1onion cut into diced pieces
1-2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 pint of button mushrooms sliced
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
salt and pepper
2/3 cup red wine
1 1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup or more sour cream (to taste)

In a dutch oven pan, heat the oil and butter until very hot. Drop in a few pieces of beef, season with some salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides. a few pieces at a time. Cooking only a few pieces at a time will allow the meat to brown better. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. Continue browning the meat until it is all done. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir and scrape all the meat flavours from the bottom of the pan. Return the meat to the dutch oven pan and stir. Toss in the mushrooms and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.Pour in the wine and allow to reduce. Stir in the paprika. Toss in the thyme sprigs and and the beef broth. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover and simmer. Braise for 40-60 minutes to the meat to tenderize. The sauce will reduce and thicken. Just before serving add the sour cream and serve with potatoes  or noodles. Serves 4