Recently while poking around the homestead, I found a rather large Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) mushroom that I have been aching to cook with. Its a highly valued wild mushroom, with the texture and look of baked chicken. It has a meaty, chicken like taste with mild earthy flavors. It has a beautiful orange and yellow coloration with a pure white, sponge like underside. They grow on hard woods and resemble something you would find in a coral reef.

I had never had a chance to cook with it before and I thought that Beef Stroganoff Recipe would be a fantastic recipe to try with it! Even though egg noodles are a common side for this dish, I love serving it over chunky mashed potatoes. Here are the ingredients we will be working with:

For the Stroganoff:

• 1 1/2 lbs of steak, 1/2" thick
• 8 oz Chicken of the Woods Mushroom, roughly chopped
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 Onions, finely diced
• 4-6 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 4 tlbs Unsalted Butter
• 2 tlbs Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tlbs Cornstarch, mixed with 1/4 cup of water
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Potatoes

• 6-8 medium golden potatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 Onion, finely diced
• salt and pepper to taste

To start the potatoes, preheat the oven to 350 F and place potatoes, cut side down, into a baking dish. Sprinkle onion on top, then cut butter to small pieces and place on top of potatoes and onions. Salt and Pepper to taste (about 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper) Cover tightly in foil and place in the oven and back for 50-60 minutes, until potatoes are soft.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over a medium high heat. Add the onion and mushroom and saute until onions are soft and transparent. Add salt to taste. Add the garlic, and continue to saute until the onions are soft and the garlic is fragrant (3-4 minutes) Remove mixture from pan and set aside.

Salt and pepper your steaks. In the same skillet, sear your steaks on each side over high heat for 2 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and then slice into small, 1/2 inch strips. Allowing the meat to rest will help retain moisture. Set steak aside.

Add your onion/mushroom mixture back to the pan and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add the steak, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken. Add the corn starch/water mixture, and stir until thickened. Add any final salt or pepper, according to taste.

Remove Potatoes from the oven, and with a potato masher, or a back of a wooden spoon, smash the potatoes in the baking dish, leaving large pieces, and stir well.

Here we have the completed dish. The meat is tender and moist, the sauce is wish and creamy, and the mushrooms add a wonderful flavor and texture that really elevates this dish. I am so happy to have found this mushroom on the homestead, and I cant wait to hunt down more. I believe that this has become a new favorite food!

I am going to go enjoy this dinner with my wonderful wife. I hope you enjoyed reading and learning as much as I did creating this. Thanks for all of your support and Steem on Steemians!!