Slow-Cooker Beef and Guinness Stew

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/foodanddrink/sns-fdrecipe-wk3,0,5704428.story

From the Chicago Tribune

Recipe of the week
Slow-cooker beef and Guinness stew

This stew can be prepared a day or so in advance. Refrigerate it tightly covered. Remove and discard any congealed fat from the surface then reheat gently.

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large (14 ounces) yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 can (14.9 ounces) Guinness Draught beer or 1 3/4 cups Guinness Extra Stout
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) beef broth
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
2 small sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried
1 pound small red boiling potatoes, halved
3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 small rutabaga, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 package (17 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package, optional

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

Note: To cook stew in the oven, transfer the browned meat and onion mixture to a large Dutch oven. Proceed with the recipe as directed; cook, tightly covered, in a 325-degree oven until meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Add vegetables, cover the pot and return to the oven until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.