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Summary
Over the space of four hours, this stew takes only whole ingredients and transforms them into a cozy, rich and delicious stew you’ll be eating for days. Serve over egg noodles, if desired, or with puffed pastry or rolls.
Servings
8 servings
Prep Time
0 hours, 20 minutes
Cook Time
4 hours, 0 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 large (14 ounces) yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 14.5-ounce can beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound small red boiling potatoes, halved
- 1/2 small rutabaga, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 14.9-ounce can Guinness Draught beer or 1 3/4 cups Guinness Extra Stout
- 2 small sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- 1 17-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Add the beef; toss to coat well with the flour. Reserve the remaining seasoned flour for later.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the beef in batches in a single, uncrowded layer. Cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a slow-cooker. Add the onion to the skillet; cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the Guinness and garlic; boil 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mixture to the slow-cooker.
- Add the broth, parsley, bay and thyme to the slow-cooker. Cover; cook on low until meat is almost tender, 2 1/2-3 hours. Sprinkle in the reserved seasoned flour; stir. Add potatoes, carrots and rutabaga. Cover; cook on high until tender, about 1 hour. Taste pan juices; adjust seasonings.
- If serving the stew with the pastry crust, heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut pastry sheets into quarters. Place on 2 baking sheets; pierce several times with a fork. Bake until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Spoon a portion of the hot stew into individual dishes. Top with a pastry square.
