Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

• cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• cup vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can Irish stout beer (e.g. Guinness)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound round red potatoes, halved
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into quarters (Optional)

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the beef pieces to the flour mixture and toss to coat each piece evenly. Set aside the remaining flour mixture for later use.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, cook the beef pieces, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides. This should take about 10 minutes per batch. Once browned, transfer the beef to a slow cooker.
3. In the same skillet, cook and stir the chopped onion over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the beer and garlic, and bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
4. Pour the onion mixture into the slow cooker with the beef. Add the beef broth, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and cook on Low for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is almost tender.
5. Once the beef is nearly tender, sprinkle in the reserved flour mixture and stir well to thicken the sauce. Add the halved potatoes and carrot chunks. Continue to cook on High for about 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender.
6. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Cut the thawed puff pastry into quarters and place them on a baking sheet. Use a fork to pierce each square several times. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden and crispy.
7. To serve, ladle the stew into individual bowls and top each with a crispy puff pastry square.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):

• Calories: 738
• Total Fat: 49g (62% Daily Value)
• Saturated Fat: 14g (71% Daily Value)
• Cholesterol: 77mg (26% Daily Value)
• Sodium: 678mg (29% Daily Value)
• Total Carbohydrates: 47g (17% Daily Value)
• Dietary Fiber: 3g (11% Daily Value)
• Total Sugars: 3g
• Protein: 28g (55% Daily Value)
• Vitamin C: 9mg (10% Daily Value)
• Calcium: 42mg (3% Daily Value)
• Iron: 5mg (28% Daily Value)
• Potassium: 619mg (13% Daily Value)