Potato Soup

2 lbs. potatoes

2 oz. (2 heaped Tbsp.) butter

3 pts. (6 cups) of half milk and water or stock and milk

chopped chives or parsley

2 med. sized onions

1 cup light cream

6 rashers streaky bacon, crisply fried

salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sliced and peeled onions and cook gently. Do not let them brown. Add the peeled and sliced potatoes, season to taste, then pour over the milk and water or stock. Cover and cook gently for about an hour. It is then sieved or put into a liquidizer until it is pureed. Add the cream and gently re-heat, but do not boil. Serve with freshly chopped chives or parsly on top, and the crisply fried bacon rashers finely broken up with a fork, as a garnish.

This soup can also be made with leeks instead of onions. Additional garnishes instead of bacon are chopped Dublin Bay prawns or small dice of lobster.