Hearty Beef Stew with Belgian Beer

Directions

In a dutch oven, fry 300g of diced smoked bacon over medium heat.
Once the fat renders out, and the bacon becomes crispy, remove and set aside.
In the rendered bacon fat, brown 1kg of cubed beef on medium high heat.
Once brown remove it to the side.
Add 60g of butter to the pot, and once melted add a large, thinly sliced onion.
Sauté it until translucent. It should deglaze the pot and pick up some color in the process.
Once soft, add the bacon and beef back into the pot along with a couple sprigs of thyme, and two bay leaves.
Season with salt & pepper, then add 2Tbsp of flour and mix to coat.
Cover everything with a 375ml bottle of belgian beer, then place two slices of pain d'epices – a spiced bread – coated in mustard, mustard side down in the pot. This will season and thicken our stew.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it stew for 2h30.
Be sure to stir regularly.
While that's stewing, go ahead and make some fries.
Cut one potato into 1cm sticks, rinse it in water to remove excess starch, and dry thoroughly.
Fry gently in 130°C oil for 6minutes.
Remove, let cool, then fry again in 180°C oil until golden brown and crispy.
Serve the stew with fries on the side, and be sure to dip!