Zwiebelrostbraten – Swabian Roast Beef with Fried Onions

Zwiebelrostbraten is a dish from the Swabian and Austrian cuisine. Slices of sirloin sautéed in some fat are put warm and served with fried onions and a sauce from the drippings.

Ingredients:

4 sirloin steaks, 8 mm thick, about 200 g each
2 large onions
1 cup flour
2 cups oil, plus 2 tsp oil
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup whipping cream, or
1 cup light cream
1 cup beef broth
salt
pepper

Preparation:

1. In a heavy sauce pan heat 2 cups of vegetable oil. Cut the onions in thin slices, separate into rings.
2. On a plate mix the flour with paprika, dip the lightly moistened onion rings into the flour mixture, coat well and quickly fry them in batches. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, season with salt, set aside.
3. Lightly pound the steaks between 2 sheets of parchment paper, using the flat side of the mallet only. Cut the edges 3-4 times to prevent them from curling up.
4. Season with salt and pepper and coat them on both side with the flour – paprika mixture.
5. In another large frying pan heat 2 tsp of oil and 2 tsp of Butter and quickly fry the steaks, ca. 1 – 2 minutes on each side, add more oil if needed. Remove them from the pan, cover and keep them warm.
6. Add 1/3 of the previously fried onions to the pan, add the mustard and deglaze with some of the beef stock, correct seasonings. Reduce the pan juices to half, scraping off the browned bits at the bottom, add the cream and simmer for a minute or two.
7. At the very end, add the beef steaks to the sauce to heat through, don’t let the sauce boil anymore. Add more broth if the gravy gets too thick.

Serve with Spätzle or potatoes and top with the remaining onion rings.