Beef and Guinness Stew with Potato Herb Dumplings

What I love about this stew, aside from the deep flavor the Guinness adds, is the way the dumplings magically plump up and fill the pot.
I use good old Bob Evans mashed potatoes for my dumplings (hey- if they’re good enough for Ina they’re good enough for me!)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 

1½ cups flour mixed with generous salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
2 pounds beef (sirloin or round) cut into cubes
6 shallots, finely diced
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1- 1½ cups Guinness
2 (14.5 –ounce) cans beef broth
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
8 ounces mushrooms, stemmed, and quartered
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper

Place flour in shallow dish; season with salt and pepper. In large heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Working in batches, coat beef with flour; add to pot and brown on all sides. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate. Add more olive oil as needed with each batch. 

Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to the same pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and onions; sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Mix in tomato paste, then Guinness. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add broth, then beef and any juices from the plate. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer about 10 minutes.

Add carrots and celery; simmer uncovered until vegetables are just tender, about an hour. Add mushrooms; simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. While stew is simmering, make dumplings.

Potato Herb Dumplings:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¼ cup milk
¼ cup mashed potatoes (use left over or purchased)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon melted butter

Dumplings:
During the last 15 minutes of cooking the stew, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop 12 spoonfuls of dumpling batter into the gently boiling stew. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

Serve stew in bowls. Top each with a few dumplings. Serve.