I had crème fraîche leftover that I wanted to use up. My solution was to make Beef Stroganoff. Sour cream is a traditional ingredient of the dish, but I thought crème fraîche would work well, too. Yes, it did! Meanwhile, a new question popped up. What should I serve Beef Stroganoff with? Egg noodles seem to be the most popular choice in the US recipes while rice seems to be in favor in UK. Actually I was surprised that I couldn't find short wide wavy egg noodles here, which any US grocery stores carry. In Russia, straw potatoes (thin, match-stick-shape fried potatoes) are a tradition according to some sources that I found online. I had potatoes in hand! However, straw potatoes sounded a little heavy for my taste although I liked the idea of potatoes. I ended up with mashed potato, just like what I usually do with
Coq au Vin. Later I found out that mashed potato was also traditionally served with Beef Stroganoff in Russia, especially at home while straw potatoes at restaurants. Also, it appears that Beef Stroganoff was originally born from an inspiration of French cuisine, pleasing Russian aristocrats in the 19th century. Coq au Vin is a French classic. I guess that I was on a right track after all.
