Irish Beef and Stout Stew

I recently said that I have been bored with food. I think part of that is that for the past month my family has been sick, and no one has had an appetite. This week I decided to make comfort foods in the form of soups and stews. This one rocked! Everyone in the family loved it, including my husband who is in the throes of sickness and hasn't wanted to eat anything. Oh, how I love it when I do something right!
(... and good news, this is a large recipe, so for those of you who like to cook now, freeze, and eat later...this is perfect!)

Ingredients
(Serves 10)
4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed
2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth
1 can (14.9 ounces) Irish stout beer
10 garlic cloves, sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 boxes (10 ounces each) frozen baby peas, thawed
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, toss beef with flour; stir in tomato paste. Add potatoes, onions, broth, beer, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Transfer pot to oven, and cook, covered, until meat is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in peas, and season with salt and pepper.

Helpful Hint
To freeze, divide stew among airtight plastic containers. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator (or place containers under cold running water to release stew) before reheating.