Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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