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RECIPE SOURCE: CENTENNIAL MAGAZINE INSTANT POT RECIPES - FALL 2020 EDITION Note: I do not receive any compensation from links provided in these reviews. They are simply here as a way to cite original sources and provide the reader with necessary resources to make the dish.  This Instant Pot recipe looked so simple in the magazine. And, anything that resembles something like a beef stew, especially this time of year, has me willing to give the dish a shot. So far, the recipes I've tried for this challenge from the Centennial Magazine Instant Pot 2020 Edition have not failed me, so I was feeling super-confident. Perhaps that over-confidence was the downfall here. This recipe threw a few challenges at me. So, I'm going to start with. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THIS RECIPE Get comfy, gang. This will take a while. First, was finding the sirloin tips required for the recipe. I could not track down anything called sirloin tips at Kroger. I admit I used Clicklist (which I like about 85% of the time I use it), but I couldn't find it on the website and I did not go in to the butcher to ask. I got some sort of sirloin cut and it tenderized fine, so no real issue there. The biggest snafu I hit in the recipe was what happened after I followed step 1 and coated the raw beef tips in flour before putting it into the 2 tablespoons of heated oil in my Instant Pot. I get the concept. The flour helps to brown the meat as well as thicken the gravy. That's a great idea when it works, but right away I noticed things were getting--shall we say--pasty very quickly. Bits and pieces got stuck and started to burn. And, if you've ever used an IP, you know burning on the bottom of the pot is BAD NEWS BEARS. Things happened so quickly, I could not take pictures. I scraped the bottom of the pan over and over again and salvaged what I could. After averting that crisis, I added the rest of the ingredients: sautéed it with onion and garlic, then added beef broth and a can of Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup. The recipe also called for a dry red wine. I didn't have any so I added a little extra beef broth to make up the difference. I closed the lid and set it to manual to pressure cook for 25 minutes, as directed, and prayed. My prayers were heard, but not answered the way I wanted. The pot never sealed and therefore I essentially boiled my dinner instead of pressure cooking it. I'm betting it's because so much of the roux (flour, oil mixture) stuck the bottom, the pot couldn't get hot enough. In the end, because I browned the meat, it tasted fine. But, the rich flavor we were expecting didn't come through. I swapped out the recommended rice for some refrigerated mashed potatoes because I was so flustered at the recipe. I was not interested in "cooking" anything else that night. I also paired it with some of the leftover Naan bread from my Buttered Chicken and Naan Bread meal!  It didn't look like the most appetizing dish in the world, but...let me get to the good news.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS RECIPE Despite all the hassle, the meal tasted pretty good and what little of the roux I saved managed to thicken the gravy enough for it not to be a soup. WILL I ADD THIS TO OUR MENU ROTATION? I'm never going to say never, but I make a similar dish to this on the stovetop that uses mushrooms and noodles. I learned it from my mom and it's better. So, it's unlikely this recipe will become a regular for us. Not every one can be a winner. And, that's ok! What's next on the 7 Days/7 Recipes Menu? Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup!
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