3 tablespoons olive oil divided

1 1/4 pound round steak

1 onion roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms about 6 large mushrooms

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef broth

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 medium russet potatoes diced

1 1/2 cups half and half

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon remove leaves from stems then chop

kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Cut the steak in half. Cook 1 half in the pot until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. Cook remaining half of steak until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to same plate and set aside to rest.

In the same pot, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the onion and the garlic. Cook 5 minutes or until browned. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture. Cook 1 minute.

Pour in beef, vegetable broth and Worcestershire sauce. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add potatoes.

Cut steak into bite size pieces. Return steak and any juices from the plate to the pot. Simmer soup for 30 minutes. Potatoes should be soft.

Slowly stir 3 tablespoons of soup broth into the half and half to temper it. Slowly stir tempered half and half into the soup. Cook for about 10 more minutes.

Stir in fresh tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

NOTES

Tempering the half and half is important because it prevents curdling. Don’t skip that step!

I chose round steak for this recipe to make it a bit more economical but feel free to use another cut of steak like sirloin or tri tip. Don’t use chuck roast because it needs to cook longer.

*adapted from https://www.lifesambrosia.com/