Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

Step 1
Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef pieces to flour mixture; toss to coat each piece evenly. Reserve remaining flour mixture for later.

Step 2
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook and stir beef in hot oil until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer beef to a slow cooker.

Step 3
Cook and stir onion in the same skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Add beer and garlic; bring to a boil for 1 minute, scraping browned bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour onion mixture into the slow cooker.

Step 4
Mix beef broth, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves into beef mixture in the slow cooker.

Step 5
Cook on Low until beef is almost tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle in reserved flour mixture; stir well. Add potatoes and carrots. Cook on High until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.

Step 6
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 7
Cut puff pastry sheets into quarters and arrange on baking sheets; pierce each square several times with a fork.

Step 8
Bake in the preheated oven until golden and crispy, about 10 minutes. Ladle stew into individual dishes; top each with a pastry square.