Beef and Guinness Pot Pie

 Saint Patrick's Day is approaching and I feel the 1/4 Irish Lass in me rising up to cook up a warm and comforting dish of celebration. 

"May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!"

You'll need:

3 pounds beef or lamb roast (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper 
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness or stout beer
1 1/5 cups beef broth (low sodium)
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only,
   halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound carrots ( cut into 1 inch pieces)
5 stalks celery (cut into 1 inch pieces)
12 ounce bag of frozen sweet peas (no need to thaw)
1 box frozen puff pastry
1 egg (beaten)
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Season the beef with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste and toss in flour in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 10 -12 minutes.

Add the Guinness and beef stock, scraping up any browned bits  from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven to braise for 30 minutes.  Add the leeks, carrots and celery to the pot and continue braising for 1 more hour.

Thaw puff pastry for 45 minutes while your stew cooks.   Remove the filling from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste, stir in frozen peas, and divide among 6 ramekins.

Put ramekins on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with a circle of pastry 1/2-inch larger than the top. Brush the outside edges of each ramekin with the egg wash then place the dough on top.  folding over the side and pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper.

Bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving.  I garnished mine with chives and paprika, fresh chopped parsley would be great too! 

These freeze well but if you are going to freeze them, I'd recommend not adding the puff pastry prior to freezing.  You can also top this with mashed potatoes.  I recommend serving mashed potatoes on the side and a freshly baked loaf of bread to catch every drop of Irish goodness!  I'm adding Bailey's Irish Cream Brownies for dessert to sweeten the night!