Beef & Stout Pie

River's Edge Brewing Co. here in Milford, Michigan, brews some delicious beer, including the Dirty Frank stout used in this recipe.  Nick and I are at the brewery at least once a week.  It's a cozy place with a super friendly staff.  We've seen string quartets there during the holidays, played corn hole at their birthday bash, and Nick even goes to yoga classes there on the weekend.  We love River's Edge!  If you haven't been there yet, we hope to see you there one day soon!

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp tomato paste
3 1⁄2 cups beef stock
2 1/2 lb. beef chuck, cut into 1" cubes
5 petite white potatoes, cleaned and quartered
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 cups Dirty Frank stout from River's Edge
2 tsp crushed red pepper
Brewing Co. (or Guinness stout if you're not in the area)
1 1⁄2 cups flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (a lot)
1 egg
1 lb. frozen puff pastry, thawed

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 325°. Put tomato paste into a large bowl, add stock, and stir until paste dissolves. Add beef, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper, and stout and stir well. Sprinkle flour over beef mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir well. Transfer to a deep 10 1⁄2" × 12 1⁄2" baking dish set on a large baking sheet. Cover dish with foil. Bake, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 3 1⁄2–4 hours.
• Beat egg and 1 tsp. water together in a small bowl and set aside. Roll puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 1⁄4" thickness, 2" wider than baking dish. Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Drape pastry over dish and brush with egg wash. Return baking dish to oven and bake until pastry is puffed and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes.