1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the ground beef and a pinch of salt, and brown for a couple minutes. Transfer to a bowl (don't worry if some parts are still raw, it's all going back in shortly).
3. Add the onion, carrot, and another pinch of salt to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes, until soft. Add in the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and peppercorns and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef back in, along with any juices that have accumulated, along with the broth Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover and put in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for another 45 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water and add to the beef mixture. Stir together. Season, to taste, with salt. Allow to cool before filling pies. (The colder the filling the easier assembling the pies will be. You could even refrigerate the filling overnight.)

to make the muffin pan pies (you can get about 7 mini pies out of 1 sheet of pie dough) :

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Roll out your pie crust on a lightly-floured surface to about 1/4"-thick. Cut out two different-sized circles using circular cookie cutters (one larger than the base of the muffin tin, and one about the size of the top of each mold). Place the larger circle into the muffin tin and press up the sides. Spoon in the filling, leaving a little room at the top. Place the smaller circle of dough on top, and press to seal (a form will help here). Cut a small "x" in the top of each pie.
3. Mix the egg and water together in a small bowl, and brush over the tops of each pie.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is fully cooked through, golden brown, and flakey.

for the fold-over pies (you can get 4 hand pies out of each sheet of puff pastry or pie dough):

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for pie crust pies, or 425 degrees for puff-pastry pies.
2. Mix together egg and water in a small bowl.
3. Roll out either pie crust, or puff pastry on a lightly-floured surface to about 1/4"-thick. Cut each sheet of puff pastry or pie dough into 4 rectangles. Place a spoonful of filling into a bit offset of the middle of each pastry piece. Brush the edges with the egg wash. Fold one half of the dough over and seal. Press the edges with the tines of a fork. Cut a small "x" into the top of each, and brush the tops with the egg wash. Place the hand pies on a prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fully cooked, golden brown, and flakey.

for the crock pies (you can get about 4-6 of these):

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees,
2. Scoop the filling into oven-safe bowl or crocks.
3. Mix together egg and water in a small bowl.
4. Roll out your puff pastry on a lightly-floured surface to about 1/4"-thick. Cut into 4 squares. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash, and place (brushed side down) over the filled crocks, pressing on the edges to fully adhere them. Cut a small "x" into the top, and brush the top with the egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked, golden brown, and flakey.