Lamb Curry with Carrots and Potatoes

We threw this together a few nights ago for guests after I found an old (very old!) jar of curry paste in the back of our refrigerator. I'm typically just a 'throw some veggies in the oven with some olive oil and salt' kind of girl, but with guests, I was aiming for something a bit more interesting and inspired. This fit the bill. I didn't make my own curry paste, but rather used Sukhi's Indian Curry Paste. The ingredient list didn't look too crazy though, and I bet it wouldn't be all that hard to make your own if you were feeling REALLY inspired. I made it with carrots, but winter squash would be great too! Scale the veggies and meat up or down depending on the size of the crowd you are feeding.

 4-5 medium carrots (or 1 small winter squash), cut into bite sized coins
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 lb. potatoes (any variety), cut into bite sized cubes
1 - 2 lbs. lamb stew meat or shoulder, cut into bite sized cubes.  You could also use another type of meat or fish, of your preference
olive oil for sauteeing
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Indian curry paste

Saute the onions in a hot saute pan or cast iron skillet until starting to soften.  Add in the lamb and brown for two or so minutes on all sides.  Add the curry paste to the pan and approximately 1/2 cup water (for a thicker curry, add less water).  Add in the potatoes and carrots, and cook at a lively simmer until all ingredients are cooked through.  You may need to add a bit more water as you go if it is evaporating too quickly.  Once the vegetables are cooked, add in your salt and pepper, and more curry paste if you would like.  Serve over rice.